A Life Worth Living
by leavesfallingup
Summary: Kyoko and Ren are starting their married life together and Kyoko's star is rising fast. In her typical fashion she is intent on dragging others to the top with her. Kyoko issues her "little sister", Maria, a challenge she just can't pass up. Sequel to Always With You.
1. One Small Request

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_**Teaser: **Kyoko and Ren are starting their married life together and Kyoko's star is rising fast. In her typical fashion she is intent on dragging others to the top with her. Kyoko issues her "little sister", Maria, a challenge she just can't pass up._

_**Author's Note: **_This story is closely tied with _Always With You, Runaway Royalty, and When the Cats are Away_, so I strongly encourage you to read (or re-read) those stories first. This is my second time posting this story. When I posted it the first time I hit a personal roadblock that frustrated me to the point of pulling the story. Now, after repeated inquiries I am editing and re-posting it.

There is a problem, however: A lot has happened in the manga since I finished the stories listed above. As I do not wish to go back and alter those stories, I will only allude to certain events which are now canon. I hope that this won't throw you off too much. Please enjoy.

**Prologue **

_It was dark in the Hizuri's California mansion. It hadn't been easy to extract five days from Ren and Kyoko's crazy schedules, but their managers had been able to make it work. Ren had insisted, believing that Kyoko needed the break before her audition for the role that she wanted more than any other she had ever played. He knew that his parents would embrace Kyoko and help her to find her equilibrium prior to the big day. His thoughts had proven to be correct; Kyoko was refreshed again through the loving care of Kuu and Julie._

_At the moment, as far as Kyoko knew, everyone else was still safely asleep. Kyoko wasn't worried about waking anyone because the grand piano was located at the far end of the mansion in the spacious grand ballroom. Still, she kept her touch light as her hands flew across the keys. Brahms floated and rolled and rippled through the pre-dawn air. She didn't hear Ren come in until he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder. "You're playing more beautifully every day, Kyoko."_

_Kyoko had blindfolded herself as a part of her training, so she couldn't look at her handsome husband, but she leaned her head against his and shivered as his warm breath played across her neck. Despite the way her body thrilled to his touch, she somehow continued playing without missing a note._

_"I think that you're ready," Ren spoke softly into her ear in a voice that sent a thrill down her spine. "And your fingers must be very tired. Why don't I carry you back to our room... so that I can massage them for you?"_

_Kyoko made only the feeblest of protests as strong arms lifted her from the piano bench and the Emperor of the Night carried her out of the ballroom__._

**Chapter 1 – One Small Request**

To be completely honest, Director Shinkai thought that he was wasting his time, as well as that of the producers. But there still remained a lingering sense of guilt, even shame, for how he had used Mogami Kyoko on the day he first met her.

The truth of the matter was that he had always wondered what would have happened had he allowed Kyouko to steal the role from Matsunai Ruriko. He couldn't help but remember his astonishment at the sudden transformation of the odd girl in the pink jumpsuit into a genuine Japanese beauty. Moreover, when she became Choko, she had been exactly what he had envisioned. Ruriko _had_ stepped up and delivered a _good_ performance, but Kyoko might have delivered something _great._

After that day, Shinkai had followed Kyouko's career with the same fascination as when he had watched her push through a foot injury to steal the role from Ruriko. Her success only confirmed what he has already seen: She was destined to become a powerful actress who would someday rock Japan back on its heels. Even her stalker incident seemed to propel her higher up the ladder of fame.

Director Shinkai hadn't even seen her since attending the wedding. He had always thought that there was something odd in the relationship between Ren and Kyouko. He had never seen the man act so openly irritated with any other girl. It was as if she could somehow break through Ren's defenses and get under his skin. Somehow those two together just seemed to make sense.

After the couple had returned from their honeymoon they had waited three months to settle into married life; then they threw a dinner party. Shinkai was pleased to be invited; obviously Ren had never told Kyoko the truth of what really happened three years ago.

During the course of the pleasant evening, Shinkai had mentioned a future project he was enthusiastic about. Kyoko listened in rapt attention as he explained the story of Ishida Tomiko, a promising young pianist who had lost her parents and her eyesight in a tragic car accident. He was astonished when Kyouko fell on the floor and begged on hands and knees for the part.

"Kyouko-san, you don't even play piano, do you?"

"I'll learn! I promise. You said it doesn't start for five months? That means that you haven't cast it yet. So please, Director Shinkai-san, give me a chance to try out for the role."

Whether it was his own latent guilt, or those pleading golden eyes that did the trick, he would never know. "All right, Kyouko-san. I will give you one chance to audition, in exactly four months. But you have to sit in front of myself and the producers and play Bach, Brahms, and one piece of your own choice, with your eyes blindfolded."

She had shown him the same bring-it-on look that he still remembered when Ruriko had thrown down her challenge.

So here they sat, he and three producers, facing a grand piano and waiting for the young actress to enter. He had needed to argue with two of the producers when they tried to force another candidate through. "Give Kyouko one chance. That's all I ask." Surprisingly, the one female producer had supported him wholeheartedly.

Everyone sat up when Kyouko opened the door to enter the room. It was not the beautiful dress she was wearing. It was not the way that she had done up her hair, which was now long enough to put into a bun. It was what she had in her hand that surprised them. She walked in blindfolded, with a white cane tapping in front of her.

Her head was tilted as she stopped halfway into the room. She seemed to be scanning for something in the air. Then she turned and executed a proper bow to the two men and one lady at the table. "Thank you for allowing me to come and audition for you today. May I play for you?"

"First, I would like to ask you a question, Kyouko," the lady producer asked, "How did you know where we were sitting?"

Kyoko smiled, "It's a pleasure to hear your voice, Nishimura Rumiko-san. I have spent two hours out of every day blindfolded for the last four months. On occasion, when my schedule permits, I have spent longer. I am learning to distinguish little sounds, such as breathing. But someone made it easy for me this time; one of you scratched his arm."

Producer Fujimaki, looking embarrassed, snatched his hand away from his irritated arm. "I'm having an allergic reaction to something I ate. Wait, how did you know it was a man, and not Rumiko-san?"

"Because you continued to scratch while Nishimura-san was speaking to me; if she was the one, her speech pattern would have been disrupted."

The four people at the table looked at each other and at her with amazement. Director Shinkai cleared his throat, "Uh-hmm, Kyouko-san, could you please play for us now?"

She bowed graciously and tapped her way to the piano. She began with Bach's _Inventio 11_, one of his most tricky pieces. Everyone was all-attention now. Even Rumiko, who had seen how tenacious Kyoko could be, was amazed.

Next Kyoko began playing Brahms _Sonata No.3_. With the exception of Shinkai, they all closed their eyes and allowed the music to flow through them. Director Shinkai was already thinking about camera angles, close-ups, and pans.

Finally, she began playing Beethoven's _Rondo de Capriccio, Op. 129_. It was clear that she hadn't yet perfected this very complicated and fast piece, but she played it fairly well.

By the time she was finished the people at the table were sweating in sympathy with her exertions and they had smiles on their faces. She pushed the bench back, reached for her cane, and walked over to stand in front of the judges again. It was easy to locate them this time by their heavy breathing. "I am sorry that I haven't yet perfected the last piece. I promise that I will have it ready before we start shooting… if I am honored with this role."

Shinkai looked at the other three. There was no longer a question. "Kyouko-san, would you please remove your blindfold?"

After she had done so, he smiled, "I honestly didn't believe that you could do it in such a short time. But your husband was right; you really do live for a challenge. Congratulations to our new Ishida Tomiko!"

Kyoko beamed with delight, further captivating the men's hearts. Then her face turned thoughtful, "Ano, I do have one small request…"

**oOoOOoOo**

Takarada Maria was always happiest when she could spend time with her onee-sama. Even after three years she had never met anyone who so closely matched her. Kyoko had become the big sister she had never had. Occasionally she was also the mother-figure who she had lost. It had been a year since _that man_ (she would never say his name) had tried to kill Kyoko; although Kyoko was completely recovered, Maria still had nightmares.

It was evidence of how much she loved Kyoko that she let her marry Tsuruga Ren. Oh sure, it was obvious that Ren had made his choice. But Maria hadn't even made one objection to the match; to the amazement of just about everyone who knew her. She had even taken part in the wedding!

It was also evidence of how much she loved Kyoko when she had voluntarily boarded an airplane to join the shopping trip for a wedding dress in New York. From the day that her mother had perished in an airplane crash Maria had never stepped foot on an airplane. But when Julie-sama called and asked if she wanted to come along, Maria had bitten back her fears and said "Yes." The first part of the trip, from Tokyo to Los Angeles, had been hell for the young girl. Then Kyoko had joined them from Nepal, where she was filming, and everything was better. Nevertheless, Maria had clung to Kyoko for the remaining flight to New York City. Afterward, Kyoko accompanied Maria all of the way home to Tokyo so that her imouto wouldn't be scared.

So when Kyoko called and asked if Maria would like to come to dinner, Maria had immediately agreed. Now the twelve-year old girl stood in the kitchen next to Kyoko, watching the master at work and helping wherever she could. Whenever the two females got together Ren wisely stayed out of the way. Even though Kyoko had learned to make friends and to interact naturally with other girls (something that she had never learned in childhood) she was the most free (and freaky) with Maria-chan. Occasionally Ren would listen for minutes and still not understand what they were talking about. Of course sometimes he was glad that he didn't know.

"So then Juiichi-san has the nerve to tell everybody that _he_ turned _me_ down! Like I would ever be interested in that walking hair commercial! His hair is his only redeeming feature. So I decided to do something about it."

"Oh no… you didn't?!" Kyoko cringed before asking, "What did you use, the wax candle or a voodoo doll?"

"Neither," Maria replied smugly, "I snuck some red hair dye into the shampoo that he brings with him to use after baseball practice."

"Maria!" Kyoko giggled, "That's terrible!" Somehow her tone belied her words.

"Oh, it'll come out eventually," Maria replied smugly, "But for now he looks like a patchwork quilt. All red and black and splotchy."

Ren shook his head silently, grateful that he had managed to stay on the good side of those two scary females.

Maria asked the question that she had wanted to ask all evening, "So-o-o, tell me already; did you get the part?"

Kyoko tensed up as she continued slicing the beef for her stir-fry. "Yes," she answered tentatively.

Maria looked at Kyoko in confusion, "Just 'yes'? I thought that you wanted this part more than any role you've ever had? What's wrong, Onee-sama?"

Kyoko looked sheepishly at her blonde little sister, "Well… you know how grateful I am for all of the help that you've given me by teaching me to play piano for this part? And how people are always saying that we seem so much alike that we really could be sisters? And how you already play piano amazingly well?"

Maria, who loved it whenever people said that she and Kyoko seemed like sisters, just nodded and waited for Kyoko to finish.

"Well, while you were helping me the other day I had this thought… now… you don't have to go along with this… I mean, you've never said that you wanted to act… but," And then Kyoko finished the rest in one rush of breath, "Iaskedthedirectortoletyoupla ythepartofyoungTomikoandhesa idyes!"

Even though Maria was on the same odd wavelength as her big sister it still took a minute for her to translate the garbled words into something meaningful. Then her eyes went wide with astonishment, "REALLY?! I get to be the younger version of you? And he said yes?! THAT'S GREAT, thank you, thank you, thank you!" As she said all of this she was jumping up and down while hugging Kyoko.

Instead of hugging the shorter girl back, Kyoko grimaced and kept both arms high in the air. Only when Maria lowered her voice and settled down did she finally realize what Kyoko had been crying out: "Knife! Maria! Knife!"

Ren shook his head as he sat in his chair and watched this scene. _Those two together as a team? Shouldn't I warn Shinkai-san?_

* * *

**Notes: **As you no doubt noticed, there were many references to events in the past. As I mentioned before beginning, this story is the sequel to _Always With You_. If you haven't read that story, much of this will not make sense.

Please don't confuse Ruriko, the pop-idol who appeared early in the manga, with Rumiko, the talk-show host from _Always With You._

Finally, I dedicate this story to Runadaemon, who has been following my stories from the beginning and who has corrected hundreds of my typos. Here is the missing story you were asking about.


	2. Reconsiderations Retractions & Revisions

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

**Chapter 2 – Reconsiderations, Retractions and Revisions**

Director Shinkai scratched his head in frustration for the fifth time in the last hour. _What was I thinking? You weren't thinking, you baka! You were so amazed at what Mogami-san accomplished that you didn't stop to think. "One small request?!" Yeah right! Arrgh!_

The problem was this: Takarada Maria had built a reputation among the directors in Tokyo; and it wasn't a good reputation. Whenever Maria appeared, disaster was sure to follow. Granted that these occurrences had dropped off completely since Tsuruga Ren married Kyoko; but the damage had been done.

Actresses, most especially the pretty, young ones who acted alongside Ren, feared Takarada Maria like the revival of the Black Plague. When she showed up on the set, banana spiders, dead rats, and all manner of other gruesome objects showed up in the women's dressing room... or on their designated chairs… or down their dresses. It had gotten so bad in fact that the directors had worked out a special code with the filming crews. Whenever anyone whispered, "A Tsunami is imminent," everyone knew to be on the alert: Maria had entered the building.

And now Director Shinkai had actually agreed to allow the little terror to _act_ in his movie. _Has she ever even acted? Does she even know how to act? Just because her grandfather runs LME doesn't mean that she has any talent. Baka, baka, baka!_

Actually, her relationship with her grandfather made things even worse. If she couldn't act, then how was he supposed to fire her? How do you explain to your boss, the owner and CEO of the most powerful talent agency in the Far East, that you have to fire his granddaughter?

But for Director Shinkai this movie was too important to sacrifice on the altar of nepotism. He had fallen in love with the story as soon as he had read it. He had begged and pleaded for the privilege of directing it (which is why he was willing to give Kyoko a chance). He wanted to make this movie into something that would be talked about for years to come. He wanted it to be his directing masterpiece.

Finally, he opened his cell phone and made the call.

Despite everything that happened in the last year, Kyoko was still occasionally oblivious to her own fame. Had her manager, Ashina Mieko, been there she wouldn't have made this blunder. But Mieko had requested the day off to take care of a personal matter. Today was one of Kyoko's increasingly rare free-days so she had happily sent her manager off.

It was almost four years ago that Kyoko had changed her hair style and color and stood on the corner of Tokyo's busiest intersection hoping to be "discovered." At that time nobody had noticed her or even given her the time-of-day. Those days of anonymity were long gone now.

Today Kyoko stood at the gates of Yamata Private Middle School waiting distractedly for the school to let out and for Maria-chan to exit. She had not expected the other four-hundred and Sixty-three students to walk out first. Nor, characteristically, had she expected them to recognize her. Now Kyoko was surrounded by almost every one of them as they clamored for her attention.

"It's Kyouko!" "Kyouko-san, you're my favorite actress of all time!" "Can you be Mio?" "No, do Natsu!" "Show us Enoki Masami!" "Can I have your autograph?" "Me too!" On and on it went. Kyoko was normally good with crowds, but she had been totally unprepared for this.

Then… Suddenly the crowd of students began to hush and fidget nervously. A few started whispering. Finally, the school yard became deathly still. Kyoko saw the fear in their eyes as they began to part like the Red Sea. There, standing at the other end of that impromptu child-made corridor, stood Maria. She glared to the right and left as she moved forward with deliberate and measured steps. She stopped in front of Kyoko, "Onee-sama, what are you doing in public without Mieko? Are you nuts?"

The other students looked on in amazement as their classmate spoke so casually and even scoldingly to the young lady who had recently become so famous. Not that they would have dared to correct her. Maria-san was perhaps one of the scariest middle-schoolers they would ever meet. Even bullies didn't mess with the little blond girl with the dark aura.

Kyoko, still a little taken aback by the onslaught of little worshippers, smiled crookedly at her favorite little friend. "Gomen, Maria-chan, but I really needed to talk with you. I've brought an extra helmet. Can you go for a ride with me? I already cleared it with your grandfather."

Two minutes later, Takarada Maria rode off with one of Japan's biggest young stars on the back of her motorcycle. The boys who knew motorcycles declared positively that "that was the motorcycle Enoki Masami rode in _Ronin's Children._" Using the scoring system that only school-aged students understood, Maria moved up a few more rungs on the reputation ladder that day.

Kyoko rode her friend through the streets of Tokyo until they arrived at a little cake shop that both of them loved. After they ordered their desserts and took their seats, Kyoko nervously informed Maria about her phone call from Director Shinkai. She was relieved when Maria-chan took the news well. "So, all I have to do is perform a script reading for Director Shinkai? He'll still give me a chance if I can show my acting ability?"

Kyoko nodded. She had been so pleased with Maria's reaction to her news the previous evening. When Shinkai "revised" his agreement, she was mortified. Kyoko understood the rules of professionalism, so she understood that for the director the movie had to come first. Still it seemed so cruel to take this opportunity away from Maria.

But Maria was the granddaughter of the founder and CEO of LME. Someday she intended to take over for her grandfather. At twelve years old she already understood more about the movie and film industry than most people three times her age. "Don't worry Onee-sama," she said confidently, "I'll get the part."

**oOoOOoOo**

An hour later, Director Shinkai sat in the LME audition room all alone with Kyoko and Maria, his face expressionless. "Here is the script, Maria-san. I have highlighted your parts with a marker. Say your lines the way that young Ishida Tomiko would say them. Mogami-san, I want you to read the other parts."

Even though he wasn't showing any emotions on the outside, inside he was in turmoil. It started as soon as Maria had walked in the door. At that moment she had been wearing the same bring-it-on expression that Kyoko had showed when he had laid down his challenge. He had expected a spoiled brat. Instead Takarada Maria not only accepted his proviso, but she seemed determined to prove herself worthy of the role.

_I guess the rumors are true, after all._ He had heard through the rumor mill that Mogami Kyoko had somehow tamed this young shrew. Rumor said that the girl could still be scary at times, but that she had matured and was actually becoming a likable young lady.

Maria's looks were definitely right for the camera. At the age of twelve she was beginning to stretch out and was making the transition from little girl to teenager. Shinkai was old enough to remember Takarada Lina, Maria's mother. Not only had she been beautiful, but she was a gifted pianist, singer, and actress. It was clear watching Maria now that she had inherited her mother's gift for acting. He wondered if she shared her other talents. _Well, I already know she is a gifted pianist._

The other thing that was standing out to him was the chemistry between Kyoko and Maria. Seldom had he encountered two girls who just seemed to belong together in front of the camera. Their interaction was not only comfortable, but it was endearing, real, and wonderful to watch. What a shame that they wouldn't ever be acting together in this movie.

Suddenly Director Shinkai started flipping through the script. He was reading frantically now, only listening to the reading with one ear. _There! What if… that would work!_ He flipped through page after page. Reading the lines and visualizing the scenes. He became so involved in what he was doing that he didn't even realize that the two young ladies had become silent.

"Ano…" Kyoko tapped the table in front of him to gain his attention. Both Mogami Kyoko and Takarada Maria were looking at him with anxious expressions. "Director Shinkai, Maria-chan has finished with the reading. Can you please tell us if she gets the part?"

"I'm afraid that I don't want Maria-san for the part of the young Ishida Tomiko." Both of them looked stricken at his words, so he decided not to leave them in suspense, "You see, the part of the young Ishida Tomiko is just too small to waste on you, Maria-san. I think that I would like you to play a much larger role. I wonder if you would be willing to take on the role of Hattori Akiko?"

Kyoko's eyes went wide with disbelief. She and Maria had read through the entire script on the previous evening. The role of Akiko was a key role in the movie. Ishida Tomiko would finally turn her life around after devoting her time to helping Hattori Akiko, a young girl who had also attempted suicide after losing her sight. It would require the young girl to display a full range of emotions, sometimes all in one scene. It was almost as challenging as the role of Tomiko. Kyoko turned from Shinkai to look at Maria.

Maria still had that bring-it-on grin on her face.

"I take it that the answer is yes?" Director Shinkai tried to give the twelve year-old his best frown, "Understand this: you will have to work very, very hard to pull off this role. If we start filming and I decide that you're not good enough, I'll fire you on the spot. Are we agreed?"

Maria stood and bowed, "Hai, Director Shikai-san. I promise you that I will not disappoint you. Please take good care of me."

* * *

**Notes:** This is a short but-necessary chapter. I've spent the last couple of hours re-reading the manga sections with Kyoko and Maria together. The more times I read it, the more I love this friendship. I will do my best to make this story worthy of the original.

Several reviewers, those who know music, have very kindly pointed out the near-impossibility of Kyoko learning to play those three pieces of music in only six months… especially since she didn't play before. All that I will say at this point is "please be patient with me." Kyoko's unexpected and unnatural acumen for music is a key feature of this story. On another note: I can state with absolute certainty that this particular feat is possible. In fact, I know someone who did it. Granted, this person is considered a prodigy, but he is not alone… even within his own family (or _especially_ within his own family). It is not my intention to Mary-Sue Kyoko in this story. In this particular story, as in _Hidden in Plain Sight_, an unusual gift is a part of the story.

Thank you to those who have already read and reviewed.


	3. The Field Trip

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

**Chapter 3 – The ****Field Trip**

Ren woke well before the alarm clock, as had become his habit. He let his eyes adjust to the dark, fixing his gaze on the pretty sleeping face of his young wife. This was his guilty pleasure. Even after almost a year of marriage Kyoko became uncomfortable if he looked at her for too long while she was awake. He was always aware of her needs, so he refrained from looking too long… or too longingly during their daylight hours. But the night belonged to him. In these stolen moments he took his fill of her. Kyoko never saw herself as beautiful, but to him she was his goddess.

One bare arm had slipped out from the covers. Ren couldn't resist stroking her soft, flawless skin. As always he was amazed at the effect that she had on him. His hand moved of its own volition to stroke her cheek. She purred in her sleep, or Ren thought so until her eyes opened, golden and glowing even in the dark. No words were spoken as they gazed at each other in the dark and his hand moved under the blanket.

An hour later Kyoko poured the miso soup into two bowls and added those to the light fare that she had made for their breakfast. The bedroom door opened and Ren walked out in only pajama pants while he used the towel draped over his shoulders to wipe his hair. Their eyes met again and Kyoko blushed.

Ren loved that she still blushed, but he didn't tease her about it. "Your field trip is today?"

"Yes." Kyoko smiled happily. She had never been so anxious to start on a new project. Then she frowned, "I only hope that my poor piano skills don't embarrass Shinkai-sensei."

Ren walked into the kitchen and hugged his much smaller counterpart from behind while he growled playfully, "Kyoko, you have been practicing for at least three hours a day for the past six months. You play wonderfully! And I doubt that Shinkai would have cast you if he didn't believe that you could do it."

"But this is a school full of musicians and…" she squeaked as Ren purposely found a ticklish spot, "Stop that! That isn't fair!"

"I'll stop when you stop downplaying your talents," he poked her again and she tried to squirm away.

"Okay…. Okayyyyy… Reeeennnn!"

**oOoOOoOo**

Ashina Mieko smiled to herself as she listened to the unfettered dialogue between Kyoko and Maria. It had been a year since she became Mogami Kyoko's manager; now she couldn't imagine doing any other work. Every person who pursues a career as a talent manager dreams of working with somebody special. Oftentimes the managers who are assigned the "top" talents hate their jobs. Some talents can be arrogant and pushy; other talents can be unprofessional and lazy. Probably the worst type of actors, musicians, singers, or models are the ones with bad habits that leave the manager always trying to hide or clean up their scandals. But Kyoko had none of these problems.

Kyoko was absolutely and totally devoted to her husband; there were plenty of other men interested in her, but she didn't even seem to be aware of it. Even if she was aware, she wouldn't look at any other man. And Kyoko, like her husband, was the ultimate professional; she arrived at each job enthusiastic and prepared. Her scripts were memorized and her characters were almost frightening in their accuracy. As a talent, Kyoko was as undemanding as a person could be. It had taken Mieko a month before she had finally gotten the young actress to lean on her for support and guidance. The only thing that that Kyoko had ever demanded of Mieko was that she use Kyoko's first name when addressing her.

One of the qualities that the middle-aged lady liked the most about Kyoko was the way that she treated Maria. She was the ultimate big-sister. She listened to the younger girl in a way that showed that she really cared what her "younger sister" had to say. She could be playful and silly with the girl and yet she always seemed to be ready to address serious issues with wisdom and maturity. She would sympathize with Maria's struggles with her father and grandfather without ever detracting from either man's authority.

A suspicious person might suggest that Kyoko's attachment to Maria was due to the obvious benefits she could reap from befriending the CEO's granddaughter. But anyone who observed them together would know differently. Just as in every relationship that Kyoko had, she always gave more than she received. It wasn't that her friends, or Tsuruga Ren for that matter, were using her; any one of them would gladly give Kyoko anything and everything that she asked for. It was the fact that she just seemed to instinctively find ways to make their lives better.

Take her friendship with Kotonami Kanae, for example. Even though Kanae had been initially furious with Kyoko for giving courting advice to young Hiou*, she now understood that Kyoko had been focused on making both of their lives easier. Kyoko wanted Hiou to act more mature so that Kanae wouldn't have to be pestered by a little brat for three months in Australia. But she also wanted Hiou to have an honest shot at winning the heart of the woman that he loved. Mieko had observed Kanae and Hiou in the nine months since the filming for _Runaway Royalty_ had ended. She strongly suspected that Kyoko had been much more successful than even she realized. _Those two care for each other; I'm sure of it._

As she listened to Kyoko and Maria in the car she had to steel herself not to burst into laughter and drive the car into a ditch.

"You could design three new versions: Romance Ren, Adventure Ren, and Wedding Groom Ren!" Maria insisted enthusiastically, "I could handle all of the marketing. We'd make a fortune in the first month!"

Through the rear-view mirror Mieko could see that Kyoko was torn, "No Romantic-Ren: His Emperor of the Night look belongs to me now. I'm not sure about making _any_ more dolls. You saw how he looked at me when I presented you with the half-sized Ren, Maria-chan," Kyoko shuddered dramatically, "If I try to make any more he'll show me his 'B.J. Striker' face!" Maria and Mieko were among the select few who knew about Kyoko and Ren's time spent as the Heel siblings or about Cain Heel's role as B.J. Striker.

"Onee-sama," Maria-chan answered tolerantly, "Ren-sama would never harm you and you know it. He would walk across a kilometer of hot coals barefoot before he would ever think about hurting you. Please think about it. Nobody else can make those dolls the way you do."

"I'll ask Ren, Maria-chan." That was clearly the most that Kyoko would concede.

"How about Master-spy Ren? Oh! I know! What about a Hizuri Kuon doll. Or maybe we could have a doll with an interchangeable head; one blonde and one brunette!"

Maria motioned popping of one head and popping on another as Kyoko looked on, horrified, "Maria-Chan!" Then she mused, "I should have thought of a pop-off head when I made the Fuwa Sho doll."

Suddenly Mieko pulled the car off of the highway and down to a small convenience store. "I'll be right back," she said, almost frantically, and then ran into the store.

Kyoko and Maria looked at each other in bewilderment. Maria asked, "Do you think she needed the bathroom?"

Inside of the store the poor bewildered clerk didn't know what to do as the professional looking middle-aged lady in a business suit ran in the front entrance only to burst into laughter, tears running down her face. He was deciding whether to call the paramedics, the police, or the looney bin by the time she finally got control of her laughter.

Thirty minutes later a much more in-control Mieko pulled her car into the parking lot of Oshima Takaji Memorial School for the Blind. Director Shinai had asked the three ladies to make a trip to the school in order to get a feel for the way that the students interacted with their peers, the teachers, and the curriculum. The curriculum of Oshima School was special because it also focused on teaching music to every student who was willing to learn. The school boasted an entire music wing, complete with sound-proof practice rooms, several small performance halls and one large auditorium.

A dignified looking older gentleman greeted the trio at the door. "Hajimemashite, I am Kamo Yujiro, the principal of Oshima School. I am both pleased and proud to welcome all of you to our humble school. And most especially you, Mogami Kyoko-san; I and many of the students and faculty are big fans."

Kyoko looked surprised for a moment, but didn't speak the thought that immediately sprang to her mind. But Principal Kamo read her thoughts anyway, "You are wondering why blind students would be fans of a film star, aren't you, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko's face reddened, "Err, well… yes; I did wonder that, Principal-san."

He chuckled in a deep, pleasant way, "Relax, Mogami-san; you will not cause offense that easily here. While it is true that my students cannot _see_ you, they can _hear_ you. I am sure that you are aware of the fact that as much, if not more of the character's emotions and intent are communicated through the voice than can ever be communicated through the face. Many actors and actresses are excellent visual thespians, but they are lacking in the quality of their voice-acting. You, on the other hand, are as believable with your voice as you are with your facial expressions and movements."

Mieko, seeing that Kyoko was embarrassed, stepped in, "I am pleased to meet you, Principal Kamo. I am Mogami-san's manager, Ashira Mieko. And this…"

Maria stepped up and bowed prettily, "I am pleased to meet you, as well, Principal Kamo-san. I am Takarada Maria. Please take care of me."

The elderly principal returned the bow, "Please allow me to escort you around our school. I know that the director wishes to employ some of our students and teachers for certain aspects of the filming. Nothing has been set in stone yet, so we should tread lightly concerning that issue."

The trio nodded in understanding. They followed Kamo into the main building and were surprised to find that it looked much like any other school inside. "This is our original building, and where we teach all of our core classes. Oshima Takaji, as you probably know, was a famous blind violinist. He retired as a very wealthy man, but without any family. He donated a portion of his fortune to our school with the proviso that we build and staff a music wing. It cost us every penny of what he donated before we completed the work, but I think that you'll be impressed with the result.

The followed him as he turned to the left and walked down a long hallway. As they walked they passed students walking in the opposite direction. Most were using canes, but some were simply touching the walls as they went. As they passed they bowed and greeted the principal by name.

"How do they know it's you?" Maria asked in bewilderment.

Principal Kamo smiled, "My aftershave. Here, let's do a little experiment. Ladies, please stop and close your eyes. Tell me what you notice with your other senses."

Kyoko, who had already been training for four months with a blindfold, was the first to speak, "I feel a breeze coming toward us from the front. There is probably a door open further on."

"I can smell your aftershave!" Maria said, pleased. "Oh, and I can smell Kyoko and Mieko-san's perfumes."

Mieko took a moment longer, "I can hear music. It sounds like an entire orchestra."

"Good. Now open your eyes again and we will allow the music to lead us."

They passed practice rooms where different instrumentalists and singers were obviously practicing, even though all sound was blocked off. "We have ten practice rooms. Each room has a piano, as well as jacks and speakers for electric instruments."

They continued on, "We're passing the two mini-auditoriums, one on each side. I believe that there is a string quartet practicing on the right. The left is presently unoccupied. Now let's move on to the main auditorium."

The doors to the auditorium opened up to allow the powerful sound of a full orchestra to blast past them. "Brahms!" Kyoko whispered happily.

"Symphony 1," Maria whispered back.

The principal led them to seats in the middle. Kyoko noticed that the director wasn't using a baton, but he was calling out occasional instructions to individual musicians. They let the sounds wash over them. All three were surprised at the level of the performance, considering that these were middle school and high school students. Principal Kamo smiled with pride.

They all sighed dramatically when the music ended. "The man directing is Harada Yoshida." He saw Mieko's look of surprise, "I see you know the name, Ashina-san. Many years ago he was a very well-known conductor, perhaps the best in Japan at his age. Then he suddenly began to lose his sight. When we were given the money to build this music wing he was the first person I called."

"May I ask, Principal-san, how did they become so good?"

"Ahh… well we can't claim all of the credit. You see, many blind children 'find' music at an early age. But most places are not set up to accommodate and teach a blind musician. So they have to struggle through with what training they can get. When news of our school got out, we suddenly had more applications than we could accept. What you just heard is our A orchestra. Many of these students have been playing and performing for years."

Maria sighed, "It was beautiful."

The principal stepped up to the stage, "Harada-sensei, could I speak with you for a few moments?"

"Certainly, sir," The handsome, distinguished looking man walked over to the stairs without a cane and easily navigated himself down the stairs.

"I would like you to meet our distinguished guests. They will be involved in filming the movie I mentioned at the staff meeting." He began his introductions according to who was standing closest. As he said each name, the director bowed and said a short greeting, "Allow me to introduce Ashina Mieko. And this beautiful young lady is Takarada Maria. And finally, a name that I think most of the school recognizes, Mogami Kyoko."

Harada Yoshida was beginning to bow when Kyoko's name was said. The man must have tripped, because suddenly he was falling forward. The principal and Mieko stepped forward quickly and caught him. As he stood back up, he straightened his suit with shaking hands. Visibly composing himself, he made a stiff bow to Kyoko.

Mieko couldn't help but notice two things: his face had gone completely pale, and his hands were trembling.

**Notes:** I apologize for the long delay. My step-father, who was a true father to me, passed away last week. It fell upon my wife and I to take care of his affairs and to ensure that my mother is well cared for. It hasn't been a fun week, as you might imagine.

The readers are probably wondering why I'm using the name Mogami instead of Tsuruga or Hizuri when referring to Kyoko. In private she is Hizuri Kyoko; but in public she retains the name that has become well-known.

I am walking barefoot through a room full of broken glass by taking on a story involving a blind person, a school for the blind, and blind musicians. My uncle was blind; he lived with us for years, so I understood him well. Still, I know nothing of schools for the blind. Somewhere within the story, despite my research, I am bound to make a mistake in my facts. If you spot this, please tell me so that I can correct it. I have been and still am doing a great deal of research to present you, the reader with an accurate story.


	4. The Male of the Species

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 4 – The Male of the Species**

Kyoko was stunned Harada Yoshida swayed and began to fall and then recovered with the help of Mieko and the school principal. Kyoko had seen the blind director's odd reaction, but she had been too shocked by something else when the tall, handsome man began to collapse. Then he had looked down too quickly for her to be sure of what she had seen.

Then he stood up again, composed himself, and made a bow to where he unerringly knew that Kyoko was standing. And this time it was Kyoko who had to compose herself… because the sightless eyes that looked back at her were as golden as her own.

Kyoko must have stood there in shock for too long, because her manager cleared her throat to bring her back to her senses. Then Kyoko blushed, bowed, realized her error and said, "Yoshida-san, my name is Kyoko and it gives me great pleasure to make your acquaintance." Then, more composed, she gushed, "Your students play so well! That was truly beautiful to hear."

Behind the tall composer the children smiled in pleasure. Harada Yoshida returned his own smile, tremulous at first but then more firm. He completed his walk down the four stairs and extended a hand. Though it wasn't the fashion, Kyoko quickly responded and gave him her own slender hand. She felt his strong hand shake slightly, but then it was firm and warm. "I am the one who is honored, Mogami-san. For one so young you have been making quite an impact on the world of late." He realized that he was still holding her hand and quickly released it. "My students listen to your shows with great enthusiasm."

Kyoko was drawn to this man in a way that was beyond explanation. Not only was he charismatic, but his voice and manner was so warm and welcoming. In a way he reminded her of Takarada Lory… only without the eccentricities.

He spoke again, "As I understand it, you taught yourself piano in order to prepare yourself for this role. May I… would it be too much to ask if perhaps you would play for us now?"

Kyoko blanched. The thought of playing in front of such gifted musicians, along with this man, was daunting. Then she reminded herself that she _would_ be playing in front of them in her performance of her character. "I… would be glad to… only, I ask you to understand that I have only been playing for a few months, so…" out of excuses, she allowed the school principle to lead her onto the platform and over the grand piano.

While Kyoko was preparing to play, Maria heard other music. It was soft and distant, but it tugged at her senses and drew her. Almost without her own conscious will, her feet carried her up the ramp and out of the small auditorium. They followed the sound, which led her unerringly to the second mini-auditorium. Principal Kamo had mentioned that a string quartet was practicing there, but she only heard a single instrument; a violin.

The door was partially ajar, which must have been how she heard the music. The open door gave her the invitation that she needed. She stepped in to a room that was in all respects identical to the one she had just left. At the front stood a boy of perhaps thirteen, thin and handsome, playing the most beautiful violin she had ever heard. Again her feet moved of their own volition, carrying her down the aisle until she stopped two rows back from the front and drank in the music.

While her ears feasted on the music, her eyes drank in the player. He wasn't just handsome, he was gorgeous! Other than Tsuruga Ren, Maria had never paid much attention to the male of the species. Almost from birth her family connections had ensured that she was surrounded by handsome, even beautiful male actors, musicians and models. Looks seldom impacted her at more than a basic level… until now. This boy, this violinist, mad little Maria's heart surge just to look at him. In an instant she was smitten.

"Hello?" The boy had stopped playing and was looking sightlessly around the room. "May I ask who is here?"

"I'm sorry," Maria blushed, suddenly flustered and confused, "I shouldn't have come in here. Forgive me for interrupting…" She turned to flee, but the boy called her back with an amused tone in his voice.

"Please don't go! I wasn't trying to send anyone away. I was simply curious. Normally I use one of the practice rooms, but they were all occupied and this room was open… forgive me: My name is Shimada Takoji. I am pleased to meet you…?"

"Maria! I mean, I am pleased to meet you as well, Shimada-san. I am Takarada Maria."

The boy smiled and Maria felt weak in the knees, "Are you a visitor, Maria-san… pardon, may I use your given name? You may call me Takoji if you like?"

Maria blushed with pleasure, feeling foolish as how fluttery she was feeling, "Yes, Maria is fine… Takoji…san. I am here with Mogami Kyoko… we are preparing to film the movie that you've probably heard about."

"Ahhh…," Takoji gently set his violin in its case, which was on a nearby chair, and unerringly found his way to the short stairs. He took two steps down and then used the rail to lower himself down into a seated position on the stage. "Then you are an actress?"

Again Maria blushed, "Well… no… or yes… not exactly."

Takoji chuckled, with a bemused expression on his face that made Maria stare. "That is a little confusing. Which is it?"

She found her composure then, determined not to make a fool or herself… or any _more _of a fool than she already had… "This will be my first acting job. I will be playing alongside Onee-chan. But she's the real actress."

"Onee-chan? So… you mean Kyouko? I didn't know that she had a sister…?"

"Oh… No… I call her Onee-chan because… well, she is my friend and she is the most wonderful person in the world," Maria was finding her equilibrium now that she had something familiar to talk about, so she went on to speak about Kyoko for the next couple of minutes, detailing her older sister's qualities, the way they became friends, and how they ended up working together on this movie.

Shimada Takoji, though blind, could tell two things about this young stranger: First, once she got past her initial nervousness she was well-spoken, confident, and highly intelligent. Second, she was very, very cute. You might ask how a blind person could tell such a thing without seeing or touching a person, but they will tell you that they _know_, and that is that. And Takoji _knew_ that Takarada Maria was a very cute girl… and that he was attracted to her.

One detail that did come out in her soliloquy of her Onee-chan's finer points was that Maria had gotten the role partly due to her musical talent. So when Maria came to a pause, he said, "So you play piano? Would you like to play something with me?"

Maria had momentarily forgotten her discomfort around this handsome boy. Now, for just a moment it returned full-force. Then she pushed it back by sheer force of will and said, "I would be pleased. You were playing _Winter Sonata, _weren't you? That works for both violin and piano. Should we try that?"

They played beautifully together. After only a minute it seemed as if they had worked together for years. Maria didn't even notice when Kyoko and Mieko poked their heads in to find their younger companion. In fact, Maria hardly noticed the transition as Takoji led her through two more pieces before he finally lifted his bow away. Then Kyoko, Mieko, and several others applauded. The music, heard through the open door, had drawn a little crowd.

Maria blushed, but her eyes barely left her on-stage partner.

**oOoOOoOo**

The young girl was fully expecting her Onee-sama to tease her about what had happened. Kyoko was different from most other young woman. She didn't interact in the same way and oftentimes she didn't know exactly how to act around girls her own age. But among a select few, like Kanae, Chiori and Maria, Kyoko _could _act like a normal girl… and in this case that would mean teasing Maria about a certain handsome young boy… but Kyoko seemed distracted by something else.

After meeting the composer/director, and after finding Maria, the principal had completed their tour. Then, with Kyoko's permission, he had taken them all to the cafeteria. Any good educator knows when to push his students and when to give them a break. In this instance Principal Kamo knew that the students, aware of a celebrity in their midst, wouldn't be able to concentrate well anyway; so he release everyone from class one hour early. Then, once again with Kyoko's permission, he conducted an impromptu interview of the young actress.

Kyoko, in her usual humble manner, answered questions about her career, the roles she had played and the people she had worked with. When he opened the floor to the students they were unfailingly polite, but they asked many pointed questions. Usually, in a room full of teens where more than half were female, most of the questions would be about Kyoko's desirable husband. But since these girls were blind, they asked about many different stars. There were questions about Ren, since his deep, rich voice had attracted their attention, but there were also questions about Kijima, Koji, and other men Kyoko had worked with. The boys, naturally, wanted to know about the actresses. Several of the boys clearly had a crush on Kyoko, which was quite disconcerting.

Throughout the pleasant interview and questions, Harada Yoshida never turned his face away from where Kyoko was sitting. The nature of his blindness had left his eyes clear and bright, without any of the usual cloudiness associated with blindness… which was even more disconcerting… and not just because he never took those eyes off of her. Kyoko couldn't quite get over the fact that his eyes seemed to be a mirror of her own. _How strange._

Mieko was also thinking about the handsome man, but she was unaware of Kyoko's discomfiture. She was remembering the CDs of this man's work that she often still listened to at home. She was remembering how, as a young teen, she had attended one of his symphonies and how handsome she had found him then. And she was appreciating the fact that he was even more handsome now.

Maria, on the other hand, had been intimately aware of the fact that Shimada Takoji had taken a seat right next to her. Never before had she been so aware of a male… it was frustrating… it was bewildering… but it was also exhilarating.

So naturally, when the three ladies climbed into Mieko's car, Maria fully expected to be interrogated and teased. But Kyoko was silent and deep in private thought. Mieko did talk a little at first, but seemed to also be in a world of her own as she contemplated the handsome blind conductor. And young Maria, content to be ignored, allowed her own mind to focus on a much younger man.

It was a very silent drive back to Tokyo.

**oOoOOoOo**

In a small, rural airport in the Midwest of the continent of the United States, another young lady waited impatiently for her flight to be called. A casual observer would have noticed that the pretty, young, Japanese lady was nervous. She often looked furtively around and she flinched whenever anyone, especially a male, stepped through the door of the small terminal.

When her flight was called, she was the first to walk out on the tarmac. As soon as she stowed her carry-on, she pulled down the shade of her tiny airplane window, but not completely. Then, trying not to be too obvious, she bent slightly so that she could watch out of the slit of window that remained exposed.

She did not relax until the airplane taxied out onto the runway and the wheels finally left the ground. She did not sleep. She tried to read a magazine, but she quickly realized that the magazine only highlighted the shakiness of her hands.

Finally, when she couldn't hold back any longer, she locked herself into the bathroom and allowed her silent tears to flow freely.

* * *

**Notes: **I apologize for the very long delay on this chapter. It was lost in my original collection and I had to re-write it from scratch. The problem was that I had to re-read the rest and carefully glean the details of the remainder of the story so that I didn't step on my toes here.

Besides that, it has been a little difficult to find my muse lately. Anyway, the next few chapters should flow more freely. Here's hoping.


	5. Missing Person

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 5 – Missing Person**

When Maria was dropped off on the afternoon of the field trip, she floated instead of walking into the mansion. Takarada Lory, the "King of Love," recognized the symptoms immediately. "So Maria, are you going to tell me about him?"

Maria had always loved her grandfather's deep, caring voice. But when she heard him this time, and heard what he was asking, she jumped back in fright. "I… I'm sorry Grandfather. I didn't see you there…"

"Good afternoon, Granddaughter. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." The expression on her grandfather's face told her that he really, really wanted to know.

And suddenly she wanted to tell him. She spent the next half-hour extolling the virtues of thirteen year-old Shimada Takoji. There were many qualities that Maria loved dearly about her Grandfather; one of the greatest was that he was a good listener. Even though it had hurt her that her father had never visited until her tenth birthday, Grandfather was truly the one who she considered her parent. He was an extremely busy man who ran a huge and successful talent agency; but he always made time for her. Oh sure, he was as odd and eccentric as a person could be. But when it became time to be serious, he was her wise counselor and strict parent. Even now, as she exposed her tender young-girl's heart for him, she had absolute faith that he wouldn't scoff or tease.

"He sounds like a very nice young man, Maria. You say that he will be in the movie?" He was sitting on the couch, assuming his customary repose; legs stretched out, one hand on his chin. Maria was on the couch as well, sitting on her knees with her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

"Hai. Director Shinkai hasn't assigned roles yet, so he doesn't know which part he'll be playing. I'm sure it will be a big part. He's really good looking and he plays violin so beautifully."

Lory had to fight back a stab of fatherly jealousy as he realized that his granddaughter's affections were directed on another male. It is the most wonderful thing in the world when a little girl child thinks that her father is the end-all, be-all. Therefore it is always difficult when a young man comes along and supplants the father's position. _If my son would just wake up and look at his daughter, he would realize what he has been missing._

"By the way, your father should be arriving at any time. The chauffer picked him up at the airport thirty minutes ago."

Maria looked startled. She had been so wrapped up in her day with Kyoko-chan, and then her meeting with Takoji, that she had completely forgotten that her father was flying in for a visit. Since that December visit, almost three years ago, her father had only visited nine times. Oddly, Maria hadn't been too concerned about it.

On the night of her tenth birthday, when she and her onee-sama had thrown their "Grateful Party," she had been overjoyed to see her father. But even as that night progressed she found that he was more a stranger than a father to her. Truthfully, within a short time that evening she was off looking for Kyoko. Kyoko was what had made that night special for her, not her father. Before she had met the older girl she had never really wanted a big-sister. But once Kyoko came along everything changed. Not only was she a wonderful actress, with a dark side to match her own, but she seemed to understand Maria in a way that not even Grandfather could. Her father, even though he emailed her every day, really didn't understand her at all.

She was pleased, nonetheless, to know her father was coming. It promised to be the perfect end to the perfect day.

**oOoOOoOo**

When Ren saw that Kyoko was distressed in some way, he took her on a date to one of the nicest restaurants in town. Yashiro had recommended the restaurant because of the quality of the band. His manager had become an expert recently because he spent all of his evenings with Shouko Aki*, dancing around the town.

Ren held his love close as they spun slowly around the dance floor. The music from this band was indeed excellent, but his entire concentration was on the lovely lady in his arms. Even after almost nine months of marriage he still had trouble believing that she was actually his. A part of him had always lived in fear that he would make a misstep and lose her forever. As if sensing his momentary dark feelings, Kyoko hugged him tighter as the music ended.

People in the room applauded, which was ridiculous to Ren. He could understand if they were clapping for Yashiro and Shouko; they were amazing to watch together. But he and Kyoko were only amateurs in comparison. Of course, being born competitors, they had started working on improving their dancing skills ever since their last double-date with the managers. Still, Ren knew that it was their celebrity status that gained them applause, not their dancing talent.

Kyoko was more relaxed now. Whatever it was that was troubling her, Ren knew that she would speak about it in her own good time. Experience had taught him that she would speak when she was ready… and that it wouldn't do to push. Still, it bothered him to see anything distressing his love. If it were possible he would protect her from anything and everything that had the power of harming or troubling her. But he knew that was impossible, just as he knew that he would have to wait patiently for Kyoko to share her troubles.

Ren escorted Kyoko back to her seat and signaled the waiter for another refill on their wine. As he looked back at Kyoko, she suddenly started vibrating. He looked down to see her hand in her purse, trying to catch hold of the phone bouncing around in it. He had to shake his head. She still kept her phone on buzz instead of ring-tone so that it wouldn't accidentally sound off during filming. Her phone had the most powerful buzzer he had ever seen, and it always caught Kyoko by surprise.

She looked at Ren apologetically before taking the call. He smiled to show her that he wasn't concerned. "Moshi, moshi? Takarada-san? No, we're out at a restaurant… I haven't heard from her since Mieko and I dropped her off… (Kyoko's face became alarmed) Hai, as soon as I know anything… Please let me know… goodbye." She closed her cell phone and looked up at Ren with a worried face. "Maria-chan's missing. She may have run away from home."

**oOoOOoOo**

They arrived at their home faster than legal speed limits permitted. Ren felt reasonably safe doing this because Kyoko was on the phone with Chief Fujita, the chief of the police district where they lived. Lory had already notified Dignitary Protection, but Ren and Kyoko had a special friendship with the Fujita family**.

"I'll notify my officers to stay on the lookout. Takarada Maria is a little hard _not_ to notice," Chief Fujita told her.

"That's what worries me, Chief."

"Let's not jump to any conclusions yet. Her grandfather thinks she ran away. We'll stay with that assumption until we have a reason to change our thinking. Keep me informed, Kyoko-san."

They arrived at their home and didn't find Maria there. There was evidence, in the form of a candy wrapper, suggesting that someone had been sitting on their doorstep. "I think she came here, Ren!"

Sometimes, such as at that moment, a good imagination can be a curse. A thousand unpleasant scenarios ran through Kyoko's mind and she was starting to panic. But Ren wrapped his long arms around her and held her tight until she had regained control. "Kyoko, we need to keep our cool if we're going to be any help in finding her."

They went inside and started making phone calls. Ren was checking in with Lory when the phone beeped, indicating that another call was coming in. "Hizuri residence… Hello Taisho-san… She is?!... Great! We were really getting worried…" Kyoko was beside him now, trying to listen in, "Did she say what was wrong?... Ok, we're heading over now."

They quickly notified everyone that Maria had been found. Kyoko was still making calls as they pulled up to the Darumaya. They went into the dining area to find a very distraught young girl sitting with Okami-san at a table. During the last months that Kyoko had lived at the Daruma-Ya Maria was a regular visitor, often spending the nights when there was no school on the following day. The older couple had welcomed the girl with open arms and she loved them as only a young child could.

When they walked in Okami-san gave the young girl one more brief hug before standing and walking over to the couple. More hugs were exchanged, "She hasn't really said much, Kyoko-chan. All she has said is how much she hates her father."

Kyoko and Ren looked at each other, and at the girl at the table with surprise. "Should we both talk to her?" Kyoko asked.

"Why don't you talk to her first. I'll call Lory and reassure him, and then I'll visit with Taisho and Okami-san." He gave her an encouraging squeeze on her arm and then left her to talk with Maria."

"Maria-chan, what happened?" She asked, even as she took her seat across from her little sister.

Maria looked up at Kyoko with tearful eyes, "It's not fair, Onee-sama. I hate him!"

"Maria-chan, if you don't tell what happened, I can't understand."

"My father showed up today to visit. He brought a woman with him. He said that he wants to marry her."

"Is that why you're upset?" Kyoko asked sympathetically.

"No… not really. My mother's been gone for more than seven years. Grandfather and I talked about my father getting remarried, and I'm fine with it."

"Then what upset you enough to run away from home?" Kyoko asked, confused.

Maria looked up at Kyoko, her face a mask of anguish, "Onee-sama, my father wants me to move back to the United States with him!"

**oOoOOoOo**

It was much later in the evening when Maria fell asleep with her head on her onee-sama's lap on the couch in their condo. Kyoko, at the same time, was leaning against Ren.

"Maybe I shouldn't become a mother after all," Kyoko said wistfully.

Ren looked down at her. Kyoko had returned her hair to its original jet-black color months ago. Every once in a while when he looked at her he saw her seven year-old self again. "Why do you say that, Kyoko?"

"Because I'm selfish, Ren. The first thing I thought when Maria-chan told me that her father wanted to take her to the U.S. was about how _I _didn't want her to go. A good parent would have encouraged her to go with her father, where she belongs."

"You don't think that the Boss felt the same? Maria's the joy of his life. All of this time he's been pushing his son to man-up, and now he shows up to take Maria home. Don't you really think that a part of Lory is regretting his words now?" He looked down at the luxurious blonde hair spread across Kyoko's lap. "I just hope that her father has really thought this through. He hasn't exactly spent much time with her in the last twelve years. Does he think that he'll suddenly have time for her if she's close by?"

"I'm going to go there tomorrow and talk to him," Kyoko declared.

"Do you think that's really a good idea? This is family business, not ours."

"She's my imouto, Ren," Kyoko answered with a determined expression, "Do you think you're mother would just stand aside if she was here right now?"

Ren sighed, "I knew I shouldn't have let you hang around Mom for ten whole days."

Kyoko petted the blonde head on her lap and then stretched up to kiss Ren's cheek, "You love us, Kuon. I sometimes wonder why me, but I know it's true."

"If you truly knew yourself, Kyoko, you'd never have to wonder why I love you." He gave her a squeeze, "Just keep an open mind when you go there tomorrow." He stood up and stretched, "For now, I think it's time to put your little sister to bed. And then…"

Kyoko saw the gleam in his eye and blushed.

**oOoOOoOo**

"Takarada Kouki-san, I know that it isn't my place to interfere. But Maria-chan came to me last night looking for advice and comfort. I can't give her either without a clear understanding of what's going on."

Takarada Kouki and Sheila Mason sat on the couch facing Kyoko. Maria had gone to school as usual. Lory had gone to work; allowing Kyoko to meet with Maria's father and his fiancé alone. Kyoko had liked Sheila Mason immediately. She was polite, friendly, and personable. She was more pretty than beautiful. She seemed refined and classy without being arrogant. All-in-all, she seemed like someone Maria would like very much; of course that admission left Kyoko feeling tinges of jealousy.

"Hizuri Kyoko-san, I don't consider you to be an outsider in this. I know how much you have helped my Maria, and how deeply she loves you. Her emails are filled with comments about you. It's just that I can't leave my businesses in the U.S., and I want to be close to my daughter. She'll be thirteen in three months. In five more years she'll graduate. I don't want to lose any more time." He was undeniably sincere in his intent.

Kyoko wanted desperately to argue, but she knew that she couldn't. Maria might stay and finish her childhood in Tokyo. But if she did she might always regret passing up the chance to be close to her father. There was one problem, however, "Sir, do you know about the movie that your daughter has a leading role in?"

"I didn't, but I did learn about it from father. I've been negligent about reading my emails for the last week, since Sheila and I have been travelling. When is the movie supposed to be completed?"

"Mid- to late December." Kyoko said hopefully.

"Then maybe the best solution would be for me to come and get her on her birthday." He looked at his fiancé and smiled. Then he turned back to Kyoko, "You will, of course, invite us to the "Grateful Party" this year, won't you? I've told Sheila all about your cooking."

Kyoko shook both of their hands, grateful for at least the three-month reprieve. "You will be most welcome. It will take place here in your family home anyway. Sheila-san, I hope that Maria-chan will open up to you. She is a wonderful girl."

Sheila smiled back hopefully, "I hope so too. I really want to get along with her."

Kyoko left feeling like she had done as much as she could. But she really wanted to cry. _Julie-Okaa-san would have thought of something better_.

* * *

**Notes:** A maudlin chapter, to be sure. But I truly think that a decent father would want to be with his daughter at some point. Don't get too mad at me.

*One of the other spin-off stories of _Always with you_ is _When the cats are away._ In that one-shot story Yashiro and Shouko accidentally meet each other and a romance develops.

**Kyoko met Chief Fujita when she was assaulted by three hired thugs in 'Always With You.' Ren already knew the man from another project. After that first assault Ren, and later Kyoko, made it a point to get to know the police chief and his family.


	6. The Chasm of Loss

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 6 – The Chasm of Loss**

Maria was grateful for the three month reprieve. The evening of drama had given way to a day of quiet reflection. By the time her school's bell had rung for the final time that day, she had reached a certain level of acceptance. After all, she had dreamed for years of living with her father. Also, she _sort of_ liked Sheila. Maybe, just maybe, things would work out.

Maria would never realize the strides in maturity that her simple concession demonstrated. Since the day that Kyoko had helped her to open up, she had spent much of her time with the older girls of the LoveMe section, with Ren, and now with Ren and Kyoko as a married couple. Maria was gifted in intelligence as well as in music. She had observed and absorbed the lessons in maturity that her older friends had unconsciously imparted.

So it was a much more circumspect and cooperative girl who arrived home on that evening. When her father told her about Kyoko's intervention and of his decision, she had hugged him and thanked him for understanding. She wanted to act alongside her onee-sama badly, and had dreaded seeing some other young girl take her role. She was so pleased, in fact, that she offered to take Sheila on a tour of the extensive grounds. Granted, Sheila was no Julie, but she did seem like a very nice person.

**oOoOOoOo**

By the following day Director Shinkai had completed his casting. Normally talents would audition for roles, but this time he had a clear-cut vision of what he wanted and what type of person he wanted for each character. His selectiveness was compounded by the fact that most of the roles called for blind children with musical training. Another factor was also at play: not all actors and actresses would be comfortable acting alongside the vision-impaired.

It is an unfortunate fact that many otherwise good people seem to have problems working around those who are not "able-bodied." A perfectly nice person may struggle to remain in the same room as a person who is missing a limb, or deformed, or paralyzed. The same is true for people trying to work alongside someone who is blind or deaf. The person will often be unintentionally condescending, doubting the impaired person's intelligence. The person may also be overly helpful, denying the impaired person the right to perform simple tasks that are well within his or her capabilities. Many of these reactions may be "un-learned" after repeated exposure to the handicapped person. But far more often than we like to admit, the person cannot adjust.

Hence the true reason for the field trip that Shinkai had sent Kyoko, Mieko, and Maria on. He needed to know how they would react. If any of them couldn't handle the adjustment, then he might have needed to reconsider his casting. Thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case.

The director had decided to conduct business at Oshima School as often as possible. His goal was to cause minimal disruption in the lives of the students who would participate in the movie. Though filming at the school would be disruptive, it would not be as disruptive as transporting the children away from the school for large chunks of the day. Kyoko, Mieko, and especially Maria didn't mind spending time at the school one little bit.

As soon as the three ladies arrived they immediately started circulating and speaking with the different students and faculty they had met. Maria naturally gravitated to Tokaji, the handsome young violinist. He seemed just as happy to meet up with her again. Mieko and Kyoko were disappointed to discover that Harada Yoshida was not at the meeting.

"He had to take a trip," Principal Kamo explained. "He already spoke with the director about not being here for the script reading." The elderly principal's eyes seemed to linger on Kyoko, "It was a very necessary trip, but he will be sorry to have missed you."

"That's okay," Kyoko said cheerfully, "We'll get to see him quite a bit over the next three months. He really does seem like a wonderful person."

Principal Kamo continued to regard Kyoko with an odd, almost speculative expression as he nodded, "Yes. He certainly is; though he has had a very hard life in the twenty years since he went blind. Ah, but that is his story to tell; not mine."

_**Author's Note:**__ For those of you who have read the other three stories in this series, the following explanation is redundant; nevertheless… The filming of this movie takes place in multiple locations and never in the order of the storyline. In order to maintain coherency, the scenes will be presented in the order that the movie-goer would see them. It would take seventy chapters to present the entire movie script, so I will only present the most important scenes. Also: Scene descriptions are in present tense, while the actual storyline is in past tense._

Filming began promptly on the following day.

**[**_(This scene is intentionally confusing, showing the chaos of an ambulance ride while paramedics struggle to save Ishida Tomiko's life) It is dark, but the night is illuminated by the flashing lights of a parked ambulance. Paramedics rush a gurney up to the open rear door and fold it into the ambulance._

_The ambulance is rushing through the busy streets of Tokyo, lights blazing and sirens splitting the night._

_Paramedics are administering oxygen and checking Tomiko's vitals._

"What did she take?"

"I found an empty bottle of sleeping pills. The bottle held thirty pills and she got the prescription three days ago."

"Great," the older male paramedic said sarcastically, "Assuming she took one a night, she still had twenty-seven pills left." He called up to the front, "Call ahead. Make sure that the overdose team on standby. We may need a cardiac unit available as well."

_More rocking as the gurney is pulled out of the ambulance. A new group is waiting to take over._

_Tomiko's pale face is visible under an oxygen mask as overhead lights make the scene have an almost strobe-like effect. An entire medical team in scrubs hurry the gurney along while several of the doctors call out instructions._

_Tubes are being shoved carefully down Tomiko's throat. The scene shows the blazing lights with blurry silhouettes moving in and out of the scene. The patient's eyes open slightly. Then the scene goes completely dark and only noise and voices can be heard. The cacophony feels confusing. The light returns and Tomiko's face is shown as she tries to move under the seeming onslaught of people. _

"Age nineteen. Blinded in an accident at age thirteen. This is her fourth suicide attempt."

"Why was she out where she could harm herself?"

"She's been stable for over a year. They were trying to get her into a blind school so that she could learn how to take care of herself."

"And the pills? What idiot prescribed sleeping pills to a girl who has suicidal tendencies?"

"According to the report, she suffers from traumatic nightmares. She lost her parents…

_Scene fades and transitions to a concert hall_**]**

**[**_A twelve year-old girl, beautifully dressed with her hair pinned in a stylish bun on her head, sits at a grand piano in the front of a packed concert hall. Her hands fly through the 3__rd__ movement of Appasionata. Her parents sit proudly on the front row watching her perform._

_The scene transitions to the girl playing Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2. The music is slower now, and many eyes are closed as the music flows over them._

_Young Ishida Tomiko is surrounded by well-wishers. She looks over to her parents and subtly rubs her belly, giving her mother a pleading look._

_The Ishida family sits in a family restaurant, trying to eat. Two teen girls come up, bowing, but pleading for Tomiko's autograph. As she signs, her eyes are captured by a very handsome teenaged boy. He winks at her and she blushes._

_The family is driving down the road at night in the rain. Tomiko is starting to drift off to sleep in the back seat._

_Suddenly her mother screams, there is the squealing of tires and honking horns, then there is the sound of a loud impact._

_The scene shows the family car flipping sideways over and over again. A large truck, its grill shattered, can be seen in the background._

_The mangled car is at rest, upside-down. People are rushing forward to assist. An Adult male and an adult female body are lying, contorted on the asphalt._

"There's someone in the back seat! I can only see the arm. Her hand's moving!"**]**

**[**_The adult Tomiko lies in a hospital bed, an IV in her arm. She is strapped down so that she can't harm herself. A man's voice is humming Pachelbel's Canon somewhere nearby. She opens sightless golden-brown eyes and starts moving her head around to locate the direction of the sound._

"Who's there?" She rasped.

"Ahh, you're awake." A medium-height, stocky, distinguished looking gray-haired man begins to rise from the seat next to her bed. "Let me go and notify the doctor."

"Doctor? Where am I?" Tomiko tried to move. "Why am I tied down? Let me loose!"

"Now, now," the old man said in a kindly manner, "You're in the Psychiatric wing of Grace Hospital. You overdosed on sleeping pills, but they were able to save your life. You have been here before, so you know why you're strapped down."

Tomiko laid her head back, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "They should have just let me die. What use is my life anyway?"

"Nonsense," he replied, almost cheerily, "You're young. You're beautiful. You're talented. You have a lot to offer to the world. Besides, you don't really want to die."

"How can you say that?" She snarled, "I'm blind, you old fool. I've lost everything. My parents, my friends, EVERYTHING!"

"Ahh, but that's just it, Ishida Tomiko-san; that's the reason why I know that you don't want to die."

"What's the reason?" She asked sullenly.

"It's the one thing you didn't mention. You didn't mention it because deep inside you know that it's still there. No matter how much you try to deny it or ignore it; you can't escape it."

"What are you talking about, old man?"

"First, let me ask you a question: Why pills, Ishida-san? Why not slit your wrists?"

"What are you? Some kind of sick freak? Doctor's don't ask questions like that! Even my shrinks didn't ask questions like that."

"Perhaps they should have. Here's the answer, Ishida Tomiko-san: You didn't slit your wrists because you really didn't want to die. You didn't slit your wrists because if you did, you might never be able to play piano again."

"HAH! It show's how much you know! I haven't played piano since the accident. I haven't, and I won't."

"But you want to. Every time you hear a piano playing your fingers twitch. Your ears follow the music. You judge the performance. You say to yourself, 'I can play better than that,' and you want to go push the person playing off the stool and take over," The old man leaned over close to her, "Because, Ishida Tomiko-san, you were born to play music."

Tomiko just lay there, unable to retort. She turned her head away from him and ignored him.

He smiled and stood, "Well then, that was a nice talk. I think I'll leave you for now. But I'll leave this behind to help you relax." With that he turned on a CD player. Piano music flooded the room.

"Turn it off. Get back here! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!..."

The old man walked quietly out of the hospital room as she continued to scream.**]**

**[**_In a hospital conference room sits a woman, a man, and the old man._

"I don't like it!" The male doctor declared vehemently, "Of course we have to strap her down, but if she doesn't want to listen to piano music, that's like torturing her."

"Dr. Mikado, this is her fourth suicide attempt. You understand the progression just as well as I do. She may very well succeed if there is a next time. Now Maestro Shimada has helped other musicians to recover from trauma. He has been successful with several of the hardest cases. Our methods aren't working with Ishida. If we follow normal procedures _we will lose her!_"

"Dr. Asai, you're her physician, so it's your choice. But it's also your head if Shimada fails." With that he stormed out of the room.

Dr. Asai turned to the elderly man, "Save her, Maestro. She's so young and talented. I know that we're not supposed to become attached; but she's special."

Shimada stood, "Your father saved my life, Doctor Asai. I owe you this much."**]**

**[**_The scene opens to Tokiko's hospital room. The piano music is still playing in the background. The camera focuses on her arms, which are strapped-down. Her fingers are playing imaginary keys._

"I love this CD Ishida-san," Shimada said out loud.

Tomiko jumped. She hadn't realized that he was in the room. Her fists clench and she turns her face away.

"You were, what, ten years old when you cut this CD?" He continued unperturbed. He pulled a chair up next to the bed. Music is your lifeline, Ishida-san. It is as much a part of who you are as breathing. So why won't you play?"

Tomiko kept her head turned away, but tears were streaming down her cheeks, "I can't, okay! I can't, and I won't. Now leave me alone!"

"I can't, Tomiko-san," Shimada answered softly and sadly. "Not until you understand that there is a life out there for you; a life worth living."

"Hah! What _exactly_ does that mean?"

"That, my dear young lady, is a question that only you can answer."**]**

**[**"Doctor Itami, she wants to let a former _patient_ take that girl out of this hospital! This is her fourth suicide attempt; our policy is clear on this," Dr. Mikado declared with an air of finality.

Dr. Asai countered, "Itami-sensei, she will not recover or change in this environment. The most that we'll be able to do for her here is keep her away from the _method and the means_ for dying. We can't offer her the justification for living. Maestro Shimada has helped others just like her."

Doctor Itami, the Chief of Physicians for the hospital, steepled his hands together and regarded his doctors. "I want a strong nurse with her at all times," he held up his hand to silence Dr. Mikado's protest. "Dr. Asai, you are responsible for making regular visits to check up on her progress. If _at any point_ she shows signs of suicidal thoughts, she comes back here immediately."

"Hai, Sensei. Thank you." Dr. Asai smiled gratefully, bowed, and left. Dr. Mikado remained, seething.

"Juichi-san, I became a doctor to save lives, not to just stretch them out. We have to be very careful that we don't allow ourselves to believe that we have all the answers. If medicine could save her, it would have done so by now. Personally, I want to see that young lady _want_ to live."**]**

"Cut! That's a wrap for today. Good job everyone."

Maria waited patiently as Kyoko shook hands with the actors and actresses in today's filming. Maria's part wouldn't start for several days, but she felt the need to be close to Kyoko. Two days ago Christmas had seemed a long ways away. Today it loomed like the Tokyo Tower. She wanted to spend every moment she could with her onee-sama.

Ashina Mieko waited until Maria was dropped off to pass on her news. "Julie called while you were on the set."

Kyoko brightened immediately, "Why did she call?"

"She wanted to remind you that she would be flying in next week for her fashion show. She wants the four musketeers and Maria to walk the runway."

Kyoko smiled to herself. Julie always referred to her, Kanae, Mari, and Amamiya as the "four musketeers." She thought for a moment, "*Mari is with her husband in Osaka. He's shooting another commercial drama. She said that she can make it back in time for the event. It's not like Kurosaki-san would ever miss a chance to see his girl prancing around on stage. I've never seen a man so enamored."

Mieko shook her head. Kyoko was as oblivious as ever. Nobody, not even Kurosaki, was as enamored with a girl as Tsuruga Ren was. She often wished that a man would look at her the way the Ren looked at Kyoko.

Kyoko continued, "But Okaa-san should know that Amamiya's still in the U.S." She frowned, "We didn't even get to visit with her when we spent ten days in California. Hiraga Akio seemed to always keep her busy." After filming _My Captive Soul,_ Chiori Amamiya and Hiraga Akio had stayed in the United States. Both found acting work, but neither was highly successful.

Mieko now passed on the second part of her news, "Actually, Kyoko-san, Chiori Amamiya is flying in with your mom. Julie-san said that things haven't been going too well for your friend. She wanted me to tell all of you to be especially kind to Amamiya."

Kyoko stared at Mieko as if trying to see into her manager's mind, "What happened, Mieko-san? Tell me."

"Your mom said that it was Chiori-san's story to tell. But I have my suspicions, and I think that you do too."

* * *

**Notes:** The movie scripting has begun. I will do my absolute best to try to keep the dual-storylines understandable and clear.

*Mari was Kyoko's stunt-double for a film in the story "Always With You." She met and fell in love with Director Kurosaki, the director from Kyoko's first acting job (remember the soft-drink commercial?). Chiori Amamiya met Hiraga Akio, a former child star who was in her film "The Scarlet Dice." He wooed Chiori and convinced her to go to the U.S. with him to try filming there.


	7. Abductee

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 7 – Abductee**

Sunday was a day off for Kyoko, though not for Ren. She could have engaged in a thousand different activities, from visiting with her friends to practicing her piano to just enjoying alone time. Instead, she engaged in the activity that she loved the most: watching her talented husband act. Actually, she enjoyed watching him model and interview as well, but it had been his acting that had first captured her attention… and her heart.

On this particular Sunday, Ren was shooting scenes from his popular sci-fi drama _Timeslip_. It was a story about a man who sometimes saw events before they happened, though he couldn't control what he saw or when he saw it. As a result he would suddenly have to run off from whatever activity he was engaged in so that he could prevent a disaster. This talent was playing merry-hell with his work-life and love-life, but that wasn't the worst of it. An unscrupulous organization had found out about his talent and was working to either capture and exploit… or kill him. The drama had tender moments, tragic moments, and moments of intensive action. And it was quickly rising to number one on the ratings chart.

Kyoko arrived just before lunch with a bento formulated to fit her husband's almost-birdlike eating habits. When the crew saw her they immediately made her welcome, adding a chair next to her husband's unoccupied seat. Directors didn't usually appreciate uninvited visitors, but over the past year it had become an accepted fact that this couple had open access to each-other's sets.

Some spouses and love interests were distractions. Some seemed to expect star-treatment just because their opposite number had a role in the show. Others actually tried to tell the directors and crews how to do their job. Ren and Kyoko never did any of these things. They were consummate professionals who lived and breathed within this environment. They both knew when to be silent and fade into the background. They were also both so respected that some directors actually asked one or the other for an opinion on a particular scene. At first Kyoko had been startled when directors began to address their concerns to her, but now she took it in stride and offered her honest… and notably valuable… opinions. Though she still didn't realize the truth yet, she was accepted by the professionals as a professional… the highest possible accolade from that particular group.

It was fortuitous that she showed up on that particular Sunday. The actress who was scheduled for the bit-part hadn't showed up. It turned out that she was participating in one of Japan's infamous challenge game shows… the type where you had to survive through a course of dangerous and ridiculous obstacles… and her back was severely wrenched in the process. When Kyoko went to take her seat she was startled to see several people rushing at her. The director, with two assistants fast on his heels, almost slid to a stop in front of her. "Kyouko! I'm glad that you're here! I hope that you'll be willing to do this? We only have this city block reserved for today and that stupid girl should have known better than to get injured one day before a big shoot. So, will you?"

Kyoko, bewildered, opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, and then finally asked, "Will I do what, Director-san?"

The director was tempted to roll his eyes at the dense-ness of actresses, but he thought better of it as he realized that he was at fault for the confusion, "I apologize. The actress who was supposed to play the part of the rescued victim in today's scene got herself injured, so now we are without an actress. Would you be willing to step in? I can have one of my assistants clear it with LME and your manager?"

Kyoko glanced past the men and saw her tall husband being touched-up for the scene. She felt a little thrill running through her body at the thought of acting with him again, if even in such a small scene. "Certainly, Niamato-Director-san. I would be honored to help."

Fifteen minutes later she was dressed as a high-powered executive business-woman. Her makeup made her look about twenty-five, with dark brunette hair and piercing sky-blue eyes. The director looked at her and beamed his appreciation of her appearance. "Here's the scenario, Kyouko-san: You will film the same scene twice. In the first scene you will be arguing over a business deal on your phone as you walk down the sidewalk. Suddenly a delivery truck will jump the sidewalk and head straight for you. The others around you will scream and run for safety, but you'll be oblivious, standing in place and arguing, unaware that a truck is hurtling towards your back."

Kyoko nodded, absorbing the instructions. Then she lost concentration for a moment as she saw Aiko Mari, her good friend, dressed to look just like her. The two young ladies beamed at each other and then Kyoko turned her attention back to the director. "… all you really have to do in the second scene is look startled when Inochi suddenly yanks you out of the path of the truck. He will pull you into the alley as the truck strikes the corner of the wall. You are flustered… and perhaps a little attracted to him… but then you remember your phone conversation. You thank your savior and then walk away, returning to your conversation."

Kyoko nodded again, bowed slightly and excused herself to take her position. As she walked by Mari she smiled and the two friends exchanged quick hugs. Then they resumed their professional demeanors and went to work. Aiko Mari had been Kyoko's stunt-double in the movie _Ronin's Children._ Later she became her temporary bodyguard. In the process they became lifelong friends.

The first version of the scene went off without a hitch. Kyoko argued heatedly with the person on the other end of the phone about a corporate takeover, demanding that more direct action be taken. She was appropriately oblivious when the truck jumped the curb. When the screams of the other pedestrians grew louder she scowled, covered her free ear, and increased her voice's volume. Later the film would show a close-up of her arguing over the phone as the truck grew huge behind her.

When the director yelled "Cut! Switch!" Kyoko stepped out of the way and Aiko Mari took her position. The truck hit her, sending her through the air to hit a huge, air-filled bladder. Mari was helped unharmed to her feet and the bladder was removed. Later Kyoko would be turned into a grotesque, bloody version of her former role. In the film, Kyoko would be seen laying against the wall like a broken doll, her arms and legs twisted unnaturally. The un-harmed phone would be the last focus… with the person on the other end still arguing about the take-over attempt.

This scene would be the one that Inochi would see in his mind. The episode would focus on him trying to reconcile the scene in his mind with the location in the city. For some reason he couldn't discover the location, but then he would spot the lady and tail her. When he recognized the location in his vision he quickly passed the lady. Then, as the truck bore down on the lady, he would yank her to safety.

Naturally, since the final bloody scene described in the first scenario would involve destroying Kyoko's outfit and makeup with fake blood, it would be filmed last. First Kyoko had to film the rescue with Ren. Most of the original scene was reusable, so the actual rescue would only be a short scene. Up until this point Kyoko hadn't been able to speak with Ren; he appeared before her as her makeup was being touched up and smiled adoringly at her, causing the makeup artist to go weak at the knees and mumble incoherently. "Thanks for doing this, Love."

Kyoko thanked the befuddled makeup artist and then stood to lead her husband away, "You need to be more careful, Ren. You have no idea what you do to those poor women."

Ren grinned in a very suggestive manner, "Only them? And here I was trying to provoke a reaction from you…"

Kyoko blushed, "Oh… I think it's safe to say that you have managed that as well. Now be good and go rescue the damsel in distress."

"As you wish, my dear damsel."

Kyoko had to work hard to slip into character so that her blush would disappear before the scene re-started. "Remember, Kyouko-san," the director called out, "bewildered, attracted, then distracted."

"Hai, Director-san," Kyoko responded… and then she became the businesswoman. Those on the cast and crew who had never witnessed it before were startled. In one second she was Kyouko. In the next she was Surisato Ami, a high-powered business executive with the world by the throat. She even walked without looking to the exact spot where she had left-off.

As the truck hurtled down on her, she continued to argue. Then she squeaked in alarm as a long arm and a large hand grabbed her arm and yanked her to the side. The scene focused on the truck as it careened off of the façade of the building. Then, as the wreck escalated and glass and brick flew in all directions, the camera focused on the tall man in the sports jacket and jeans as he held the much smaller brunette in her expensive business suit. The film specialist would slow down the crash and the flying debris and sound specialists would enhance the sounds of two heartbeats and rapid-breathing for the few seconds that the crash continued.

Then Surisato Ami, one arm still holding her phone out in the air in an almost comical pose, slid startled eyes up from the man's chest to his handsome face. For a very long moment… longer than the director had intended… the man and woman locked gazes. Then the voice on the line called out Ami's name and her attention was pulled away from those dark eyes. Inochi released his grip on her and the two slowly moved apart. Ami returned the phone to her ear, but her eyes moved back to her tall rescuer. Finally she returned her attention to the phone, wheeled, and walked away… once again the high-powered executive with places to go.

Ren almost never lost his character. He could count the times it had happened on one hand… and every time had involved Kyoko. It happened again now. As Ami walked away, his gaze followed her, drinking her in. The camera caught it all and the director silently absorbed it. When he finally called, "Cut! Check film!" he let out a breath. _Kami, but those two have a magical, almost-animal film chemistry!_

Before he was done checking the scenes he had decided: He wanted to hire Kyouko to reappear. She would be the mystery woman who Inochi would need to rescue over and over, but who would somehow elude him. It would add an air of intrigue and continuity to the show… and that chemistry was just too powerful to be squandered.

**oOoOOoOo**

"So then we had to go down with the president of the company and convince the Taiwanese police that Shio wasn't some sort of hoodlum or drug dealer," Mari grinned as Kyoko, Yashiro and Ren laughed, but then her grin faded, "I suppose that it's time for him to shed the 'bad-boy' look… (sigh) … but he looks so hot that way." She and her husband, Kurosaki Shio, had just returned from a project that spanned several countries. Kurosaki was a director who specialized in commercials. He was also known for his rather dangerous look and style of dress.

Kyoko giggled… something she hated to do, and said, "He'll probably look good in suits too. It isn't like he needs to get rid of _all_ his piercings… just a few."

"So, how is your new film going?" Mari almost wished that Kyoko's newest movie involved action. She loved working with her younger friend and watching her magic.

"It's going well…" there was a slight hesitation there. Mari didn't catch it, but Ren did. Later, after work was finished for the day and Ren was driving his wife home, he asked her about it.

"I know that I'm being silly, Ren, but Harada Yoshida… I told you about him?" When Ren nodded, she continued, "He wasn't there and… it bothered me. I can't explain it… mostly because I don't understand it myself… but I feel drawn to him."

"Should I be jealous," Ren asked, only half joking.

"Not like that! It's more like… how do I explain this… it's like I feel with Otou-san… but that doesn't make sense either…" Kyoko scrunched up her face, confused and frustrated with her inability to communicate her thoughts.

Ren reached over and gently took one slender hand, "That's okay, Love. You'll figure it out eventually. Will he be there tomorrow?"

"I don't know…" Kyoko drifted off, lost in thought.

**oOoOOoOo**

Harada Yoshida wasn't on set on Monday either. He had returned to the school, but was sick and confined to his room.

Kyoko and Mieko arrived alone. Maria had school and her that night would mark the end of her father's visit. Maria had told Kyoko that she had spent a lot of time with Sheila and she was actually beginning to like the woman. Kyoko didn't know how she felt about that.

The students were very enthusiastic about the first day of filming at as a school. Those who had speaking parts and even those who were only "walk-throughs" were hyped and ready to begin on-schedule.

_Author's Note: although I've written this before, it still behooves me to point out that television shows and movies are seldom, if ever, presented in the same sequence in which they were filmed. For the purposes of avoiding confusion I will present the story as it will be presented, not in the order it was made._

[_The scene opens with an overhead view of heavy traffic travelling on a multi-lane highway with the skyline of Tokyo on all sides. Music with a piano and multiple stringed instruments plays._

_The scene focuses on a minivan with the logo "Nishimaru Private School" moving in the middle of the traffic._

_The scene moves inside the vehicle, where Shimada-maestro is driving and Ishida Tomiko is riding in the passenger seat. The older man is moving to the music, clearly enjoying it and occasionally conducting with one hand. Tomiko is sitting with her knees gripped to her chest and her eyes closed. Whenever another car makes noise her set face flinches into a grimace._

"You don't need to worry, Tomiko-san," Shimada says consolingly, "I'm a very safe driver and we aren't exactly moving fast."

Without opening her eyes, Tomiko replies, "Yeah, tell that to my parents. This is kidnapping, you know?" With that answer she buries her face in her knees.]

[_The minivan pulls up to a large, well-maintained and manicured compound. The camera pans to show students and faculty walking on paths, sitting near a fountain, and landscaping._

"Well, we're here," Shimada says as he releases his seatbelt.

"Joy," Tomiko replies in monotone. She releases her seatbelt and opens her door as the principal steps around to her side.

"Welcome to Nishimaru School, Ishida Tomiko," he smiled proudly. "I think that you'll really enjoy it here if you give it a chance."

Tomiko makes a rude sound, but allows herself to be led down the path.]

[_The scene focuses on a young couple trimming a bush. Although they are working their attention is clearly on each other. They are laughing and talking privately. Shimada leads Tomiko down the path towards them. As he draws near he clears his breath, causing the boy and girl to straighten up in embarassment._

Shimada shook his head in amusement at the guilty demeanor, "Hisato-san, Namiko-san, I would like to introduce you to Ishida Tomiko. She will be staying with us for a…"

"THE Ishida Tomiko!?" The girl interrupted, clearly exited, "I can't believe it!" She stepped forward, searching for Tomiko's hand. Tomiko jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, and Namiko gushed, "I'm a HUGE fan, Tomiko-san! I mean, I even have all of your…"

Tomiko yanked her hand away and stepped back, "I… I don't know what they teach here, but I… I don't know you, so you shouldn't address me so familiarly… and I don't play piano… so…"

"Tomiko!" Shimada barked. Tomiko froze. The boy, Hisato stepped forward, clearly angry and after searching with his hand he wrapped a protective around Namiko. "Come on, Namiko… the _Queen _here obviously doesn't want to talk to us peasants." He directed the shaken girl away.

"Not a great way to start, Tomiko-san," Shimada scolded sadly, "Here at Nishamaru all students are instructed to address each other by given names. Only adults are addressed by their surnames… and Namiko was only attempting to make friends. It may take a while to rebuild the bridge you just burned down."

Tomiko stood there holding the hand that the other girl had grabbed, "It doesn't matter. It isn't as if I will be staying here for long."]

[_Various scenes show Tomiko being taken from place to place, introduced to faculty and given instructions about various areas. When the principal shows her the grand piano in the cafeteria, she seems to be fixed in place. Then she allows her guide to lead her away._]

[_An elderly woman leads Tomiko to a dorm room. The room is large, with four beds. Two other girls are in the room._

"Girls, I'd like to introduce you to your new roommate, Ishida Tomiko (_The girls, having already heard about Tomiko's attitude, do not seem too friendly_). Tomiko-san, this is Usami Remi and Takiyama Okiku, they are…"

Tomiko rudely interrupted the woman, saying, "I'm really tired. Can you show me to my bed please?"

_The camera zooms in on the angry, set expressions of the two roommates._]

[_Tomiko lays curled up in bed. The room is dark. She is shaking her head and murmuring…_

_The scene switches to her nightmare as tires screech, a truck looms in the window, there is a huge crash and then Tomiko's world turns over and over. She can see her parents arms and heads flapping as the car flips and flips and she screams. Then the car is still and all she can see in the dark is her mother's bloody form, one arm twisted in the wrong way. Tomiko continues to scream and scream._

_Then the lights as people approach the car and…_

_Tomiko throws off her covers and sits up, tears streaming from her eyes. An expression of terror fills her face. Then the terror slowly fades and she rocks as she sits in her bed. Around her the others continue to sleep. She stands and feels her way to the door, then down the hall._]

[_The scene shows the piano in the cafeteria. The room is dark, but the piano is bathed in moonlight. A form shuffles in the dark, banging into tables and chairs, but continuing towards the piano. The silhouette sits at the bench. Slender fingers caress the shiny black surface of the instrument before opening the cover. The fingers feel the keys tentatively. One hand plays a C-note. For a moment the hands jerk up, as if to close the cover, but then the hands return to the keys._

_The hands softly play out the melody of Bachs Inventio 11. At first the playing is tentative and mistakes are made, but as the playing continues, the quality and volume increase._

_The camera shows several silhouettes appearing in the doorways. Then more as Tomiko slips into Beethoven's_ _Rondo de Capriccio, Op. 129. Although this piece is often played harshly, Tomiko's fingers seem to exert only the right amount of pressure to make the music roll through the air like dancing faeries (in fact, once Kyoko formed that image in her head her playing improved dramatically)._

_The lights are turned on to reveal that half of the school is now standing in pajamas listening to Tomiko's playing. Being blind, she does not notice. Shimada-maestro stands by the light switch next to a very tall middle-aged man._

_Tomiko, oblivious to her audience, pauses, breathing hard. Shimada begins to step forward, but the tall man places a restraining hand on his shoulder. The young pianist then begins to play __Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2. As she plays, tears roll down her eyes._

_The camera pans the students who stand at the edge of the scene. Several look angry. Some have their ears turned to listen. Others also have tears rolling down their faces._]

"Cut!" Director Shinkai called out. "That's a wrap for tonight. Great job, Kyouko-san!" The students obviously agreed because they all started clapping. Kyoko felt foolish and fraudulent.

She panned the group, unexplainably pleased when she saw Harada Yoshida. The tall man, the principal, and the director walked over to her, smiling. "It still amazes me that you learned how to play like that so quickly!" Shinkai exclaimed.

The tall conductor turned towards the director's voice and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, Director? How long has Mogami-san been playing?"

Kyoko tried to wave the effusive director off, but he ignored her and answered, "She has never played piano… not even chopsticks, before nine months ago."

Kyoko didn't like being overpraised, but she found that she was holding her breath as she waited for the blind conductor's reply. He turned back toward her and seemed to examine her… even though Kyoko knew that he couldn't see. "Nine months… that is truly amazing, Mogami-san… truly impressive."

Kyoko couldn't hide her beaming smile, not that the man could see it. The filming crew did see it. One man even dropped a stage-light, whereupon he was loudly scolded by his boss. Director Shinkai frowned at the interruption, but turned his attention back to Kyoko, "I… have a request… would you be willing to learn two more pieces?"

Kyoko flinched, but replied, "Whatever you require, Shinkai-sensei." In her mind she saw even more of her time slipping away.

"Good. The pieces are _Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu_ and _Mozart's 12 Variations in C Major 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman."_ Kyoko saw the two musicians jerk back sharply and noticed the director's sheepish expression.

"Ano… I haven't heard them, but…"

"Impossible!" Principal Kamo exclaimed. "Maybe she could learn _one_, given sufficient time… but not both!"

Kyoko looked speculatively at the principal. Then her eyes went to the conductor for his opinion. The handsome older man stroked his chin in thought. "You learned the music you were playing in 9 months, Mogami-san?"

Kyoko nodded, then reluctantly replied, "Hai… I learned the Chopin this month… so it wasn't very well-played."

Kamo looked even more shocked, but Harada's expression remained speculative. "I think… perhaps if I worked with you… maybe one of the two?"

Kyoko felt a thrill like she hadn't felt since the day she spoke her vows to Tsuruga Ren. "I would be honored if you would teach me, Sensei."

And thus Kyoko began a trip down a path that she had never anticipated… one which would change her life in profound ways.

* * *

**Notes: **Once again I wanted to remind you that, in this story, Kyoko is not a Mary Sue. She simply has a previously unsuspected talent for music. Coming from a family of musicians I can state with absolute certainty that this is possible. Some of us get lucky and sometimes the gift skips a generation (that would be me… curses!).


	8. The Gravesite Mystery

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 8 – The Gravesite Mystery**

_**Author's note:**__ This is a short chapter with lengthy notes at the end. You may choose to read the notes or not. They will not impact the flow of the story, but the notes might make some things more clear._

_One other important point: A reviewer noted in the previous chapter that Tomiko "saw" her mother's broken body after the accident… which should have been impossible if her blindness was caused by the accident. Thanks for such careful attention to detail, but that part remains as it is. It will be explained further along in the story, I promise!_

On the afternoon of the following day it was time to return to the set. Kyoko was secretly thrilled about this afternoon of filming because Harada-sensei would begin acting alongside her. She couldn't really explain why the older man made such an impact on her, but he did. He had an energy, an intensity, maybe even a power that seemed to spill out of him. Of course, Kyoko was unaware that the same description could very well be applied to her.

**[**Shimada and the other man stood silently and listened as Tomiko's emotional playing finally subsided. She finished with Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2, a slow and beautiful piece that seemed to communicate her love for the instrument at her fingertips. As the last notes died away, Shimada and the other man stepped forward.

Although the man's eyes were clear, his movements indicated that he was also blind. "That was truly beautiful, Tomiko-san."

Tomiko jumped, aware for the first time that she had an audience. She turned a face reddened with tears and emotion toward the sound of Shimada's voice. "There, I've played. Now will you take me home?"

"Tomiko-san," Shimada answered gently, "you know I can't do that. Remain here for awhile. Here you will be surrounded by music all day long. It will help to heal your heart." To forestall any protest he quickly continued, "Now, I'd like to introduce you to Sensei Yamato Morie. He is our lead music teacher and our conductor."

"Conductor," Tomiko asked in confusion, "How can you conduct to a bunch of blind people?" Her embarrassment gave a harshness to her words that she hadn't necessarily intended.

Yamato chuckled, and then he answered in a rich, cultured voice, "That's where most people misunderstand conducting. Most of the work of conducting takes place before the actual performance. A conductor's job is to interpret the entire score and determine how each instrument should interplay with the other instruments. We set the timing, and then we listen and adjust and make sure that every instrument is playing at the proper intensity at the proper moment."

Despite herself, Tomiko was interested, "That's fine for you; you can see. But what about your students?"

"Tomiko-san," Shimada spoke up, "Yamato-sensei is also blind."

Tomiko looked shocked, "But… but… how do you read the score sheets? I mean… I know that there are Braille music sheets… but an entire orchestra score would be impossible to read."

Yamato chuckled again, "Not impossible… difficult, to be sure, but not impossible. May I ask you a question?"

Tomiko hesitated and then answered, "S-sure."

"How did you _feel_ when you sat down and played piano again? Honestly?"

Tomiko's face betrayed a range of emotions she was trying to suppress. Tears were in her eyes as she answered, "good. It felt really good to make music again."

"If I told you tonight, right now, that you would never be allowed to make music again, how would you feel?"

Her face looked almost fearful as she answered softly, "I can't."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I can't stop. I wouldn't let you make me stop. I… I need to play," her face took on an expression of wonder, as if surprised at her own epiphany. "Shimada-sensei, you were right. I was born to make music."

Shimada grunted his acknowledgment and Yamato smiled as he spoke, "I am the same, Tomiko-san. I was a conductor before losing my eyesight. I could never let something as simple as an orchestral score-sheet stop me now."

Shimada yawned and stretched. "Well folks, its 2 a.m. in the morning. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go back to bed. Why don't I make a little snack for our beautiful young pianist? We can continue this conversation in the morning."

Yamato hesitated, "Do you think that you could handle the snack while Tomiko-san and I play one more piece of music?"

When Tomiko smiled, Shimada replied, "Okay, but play softly. You're not the one who will have to deal with fifty-six grouchy students at breakfast-time."

Yamato took his place on the bench next to Tomiko, "See if you know this." He began playing Brahm's Sonata No. 3. Tomiko smiled in recognition and picked up the accompaniment. The beautiful music filled the room.**]**

Ashina Mieko, watching the performance, was struck again by how much the two players' faces looked alike. They even had the same golden-brown eyes. Most people who lose their eyesight also lose pigmentation in their irises, but some, like Harada, lose the nerves while still retaining healthy-looking eyes. It was sometimes almost unnerving to remember that the man's alluring eyes couldn't even see her.

The remainder of the filming for the day focused on various school-shots that might or might not make it into the film. That type of filming is often the most difficult because actors (in this case students) are required to look natural while moving from scene to scene. Eventually it was decided to release the students to their normal evenings while allowing the camera-operators to roam freely throughout the complex, filming random natural moments.

This freed Kyoko to do other things… which in this case meant the beginning of her piano training with the tall, older, mysterious blind musician and conductor. He proved to be a very able teacher, filling in many of the basics that Maria hadn't taught her and correcting many of Kyoko's bad habits. The habits wouldn't matter much right away, but to play the two pieces that Shinkai had challenged her with she would need to be at the top of her form.

Harada Yoshida played both pieces for Kyoko. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that _Mozart's 12 Variations in C Major 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman' _was actually _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_. The older man explained that the piece actually contained several of the famous nursery songs. Naturally Kyoko chose to focus on that piece first, though the finger-work in this music was particularly daunting.

From that point forward at least one hour of every evening after filming was devoted to learning the piece. It was exhausting and daunting, but somehow the presence of Harada-sensei gave Kyoko the energy to press on. She didn't understand it, but it was true nonetheless.

**oOoOOoOo**

Sunday found Ren and Kyoko taking a short flight to Kyoto, where they had a rental car reserved. Whether for herself, or from some sense of obligation, Kyoko wanted to visit her mother's grave before continuing on with their other activities. It was a surprise to her when she found mostly-dead flowers on the grave, along with the ash evidence of an incense stick.

"Do you think the Fuwa's visited her grave, Ren?"

Ren frowned, "Unlikely, from what they said the last time we spoke."

"I wonder who…?"

**oOoOOoOo**

They visited the Fuwas next. This was their second visit to the couple since their marriage. The first had been difficult for Kyoko, since she felt embarrassed for running off with their son to Tokyo. Their first meeting, at the Darumaya, had been stilted because of the news that the older couple had brought with them. The trip had helped to work out past feelings and injuries.

Truthfully, the Fuwa's were a wonderful couple. Of their own volition they had taken Kyoko in when her mother rejected her. It is true that Kyoko had been drilled incessantly in posture, manners, and attitude towards customers; but that was because the couple had truly hoped that Kyoko would someday become their daughter-in-law and take over the inn. It was Shotaro's father who had taught Kyoko how to cook. It was his mother who had imparted the lessons in dignity and decorum that had made Kyoko stand out as an actress.

This second visit was much more relaxed. The Fuwas were glad to see the younger couple and they treated them like royalty. Unfortunately they couldn't answer Kyoko's questions about her father. "We're sorry. We didn't actually meet your mother until you were three years old. She never spoke about your father," Shotoro's mom thought for a moment, "I have the address of the last place she lived, in Yagi."

After visiting the couple for another hour Ren and Kyoko excused themselves and walked the path of Kyoko's childhood, down to the riverbank. They didn't say anything for the longest time. They just enjoyed the scenery and their memories.

Ren looked down at Kyoko a smiled in remembrance, "You know… it was one of the hardest days in my life up 'till that point to say goodbye that day."

Kyoko smiled up at him, "But you were four years older than me. Wasn't I just an annoying little kid?"

"No," he answered thoughtfully, "even then you were something special. You accepted me for me, not as a son of my father. From that day on you were my model of what a Japanese girl should be."

Kyoko blushed. She still had trouble believing that this man could really love someone like her, but she never doubted his honesty for a moment. "I still can't believe that we met again at LME. How is that possible?"

Ren took a long time to respond. He was lost at the moment in the way that the sun was playing off of her face. Finally, as if the delay had never happened, he softly answered, "I want to say that we were meant to be. All I can say for a certainty is that I am grateful to whatever fate brought us back together."

We will leave the couple to their privacy for a time. Some moments are private and belong only to those in love.

**oOoOOoOo**

They arrived in Yagi after a pleasant lunch in a restaurant built over a river. Kyoto is known for its beautiful temples, and one of these sat across the water and provided a pleasant backdrop to their meal.

The apartment where Mogami Saena finished out her days was situated in a stylish part of town. The Landlady was friendly, though suspicious at first, "She never mentioned having a daughter… wait, you look awfully familiar." Her eyes suddenly widened as she looked back and forth, or rather up and down, at the couple. "You- you're…"

Ren silenced her with one of his heart-wrenching smiled as he placed a finger in front of his lips. "Shhh, Ms. Landlady… we're trying to stay incognito."

She blushed, captivated by him. Kyoko shook her head and gave Ren a gentle elbow-poke in the side. Ren toned down his smile, "You can see now why Mogami Saena didn't talk about her daughter. She would have never had a moment's peace. We just left her gravesite, and we were wondering: did she leave any documents or anything important behind?"

"Not that I know of… she was an odd one…" the lady looked suddenly alarmed. "I'm sorry… I meant…"

Kyoko shook her head to indicate no offense was taken. "So she didn't leave anything behind?"

"No. She sold everything off as far as I know. She paid off her last rent bill and checked into the hospital near the end. That is the last I heard of her."

Kyoko looked at Ren sadly, then back at the lady, "Thank you, landlady-san. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us."

They were in the car and Ren had just turned the key in the ignition when the landlady ran back out of her home, waving for them to wait. She was breathing heavily from exertion when Ren rolled down his window.

She extended an envelope, "I forgot, she did receive this mail about two weeks after she passed away. I didn't hear about any relatives, so I was going to mark it 'Return to Sender,' but I kept forgetting."

Ren handed the envelope over to Kyoko and thanked the lady again for her assistance. When he turned back to Kyoko, her hands were trembling. She stared at the envelope as she read the sender's name and address over and over again.

* * *

**Notes: **The following notes were preserved from my first attempt at this story. You do not have to read this to understand the story, though it might be interesting to some.

Suicide is a very touchy subject, and it strikes far too close to home with me and probably with many of my readers. As such it behooves me to treat the subject seriously and not brush over the facts. The following will be a long explanation of my own findings and the information provided by BloodyRose021. It is not necessary for enjoying the story, but it may help you to understand why Maestro Shimada takes the steps that he takes.

BloodyRose021, a fellow writer and a faithful reviewer, raised concerns about the idea that a doctor would prescribe sleeping pills to a teen with clinical depression. Before I began this story I asked a doctor of psychiatry advice on the issue. This is what I was told:

"Sadly, where many people with clinical depression are lost is during the transition from child to adult. Not only does their legal standing change, but also their health insurance, and therefore their doctors. The result is this: the old doctors are oftentimes so busy that they are not diligent about following up with the new doctors. Also, the new doctors often don't pay enough attention to the diagnosis of the previous doctor. This contributes to why the ages 18 to 24 are the top ages for 'successful' suicide." (Please note that my research is based upon the health care system in the U.S.; if it is different in Japan, then I apologize.)

**BloodyRose021** furnished the following information:

DSM - IV -TR

Criteria for Major Depressive Episode.

Five (or more) of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning: at least one of the symptoms is either 1) depressed mood or 2) loss of interest or pleasure.

(1) Depressed most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective reports or observation made by others.

(2) Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.

(3) Significant weight loss (when not dieting) or weight gain.

(4) Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.

(5) Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day.

(6) Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.

(7) Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.

(8) Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.

(9) Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or recurrent suicidal ideation without a plan, or a suicide attempt or plan.

The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

A chronic major depressive disorder is a disorder in which a major depressive episode does not remit over a 2-year-period.

I copied it exactly how it was written in my textbook. And it's from a legit source, the DSM-IV-TR is what clinicians use to make their diagnoses. [end textbook quote]

As I said earlier, anti-depressive medication can be bad for a suicidal teen to use, but there are other forms of treatment for this mood disorder, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or behavioral activation therapy. I can go into detail about them later if you want me to. Although, what the Maestro is doing  
does seem to be similar to what my textbook says behavioral activation therapy focuses on.

In my textbook it says that suicide attempts are most common in people who are between 18 and 24 year olds, with women about three times more likely to attempt suicide than men, but that for completed suicides, the highest rate of completed suicides is in the elderly, with about four times more men than women dying by suicide each year in the U.S.

The reason why women have higher attempted suicide rates than men, but lower completed suicide rates is because men tend to use methods that are more likely to be lethal, like gunshots, whereas for women the most common method is drug ingestion, like Tomiko did.

Okay, so behavioral activation treatment "focuses intensively on getting patients to become more active and engaged with their environment and with their interpersonal relationship. These techniques include scheduling daily activities and rating pleasure and mastery while engaging in them, exploring  
alternative behaviors to reach goals, and role-playing to address specific deficits. Traditional cognitive therapy attends to these same issues, but to a lesser extent. Behavioral activation treatment, by contrast, does not focus on implementing cognitive changes.

(The information above is extracted from Abnormal Psychology Core Concepts by James N.  
Butcher, Susan Mineka, and Jill M. Hooley)

As I wrote above, I am a strong advocate for what BloodyRose021's textbook describes as "behavioral activation treatment." I have always thought of it as "service therapy," meaning an active focus on the needs of others rather than ones-self. I learned from a young age that I am happiest when I am helping others. That is the premise of this story. It is also what inspired me to write the story of Maria and Kyoko in the first place.

My favorite part of the SkipBeat manga is the portion where Kyoko is throwing the grateful party with Maria. She is intensely focused on making her little sister happy, which is what made her such an endearing character to me. It is also why I fell in love with the character and wanted to write these stories.


	9. ExpectationsDistractionsReconc iliations

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 9 – Expectations, Distractions, and Reconciliations**

Maria was exited and terrified. Today would be her first day in front of the camera. And it wasn't even a small bit-part; she was actually listed on the first-team. She would have to be ready to give a stellar performance as soon as the Director yelled "Action!"

And the best part of all was that she would be able to act alongside her onee-sama. She still couldn't believe that Kyoko had stuck her neck out so far just for her. Kyoko was the greatest friend and big-sister a girl could have. Tonight Ren and Kyoko were taking her out to throw her a celebration party.

As soon as the chauffer stopped in front of the studio she started looking for Kyoko. She found her in make-up room. Usually Kyoko was visibly pleased to see Maria and quick to greet her. This time she didn't even notice her little sister. Maria, waited, and finally stepped up to say, "Onee-sama?"

Kyoko's eyes were distracted, and she seemed distant as she looked up and saw Maria. "Oh… hi Maria-chan. We're getting close to start-time. Better get ready for make-up." And with that she was staring off into space again. Maria felt terribly hurt. Kyoko had never treated her so casually before. _She doesn't even care that it's my first day._

Suddenly the day had lost all of its joy.

**oOoOOoOo**

Kyoko was trying desperately to stay focused. She remembered Ren's words from so long ago, "Even if there is a death in your family, you have to brush it off and keep going." But how could she _keep going_ when she was going to be on set with the man who might be her father? And if he really was her father, then how could he be alive? And if he was alive all of this time, then why hadn't he ever tried to contact her? Not even once? _Maybe he never wanted me at all…_ All of Kyoko's deep-set insecurities, insecurities that she had learned to overcome with the help of Ren and close friends, came rushing to the forefront again.

She was vaguely aware that Maria had arrived. Some part of her mind registered the fact that something important should have happened, but it was blocked out by her own concerns. She didn't even see the hurt expression on her imouto's face.

It was to be a long day today. Because Maria had afternoon classes, they would film the takes out of sequence. Maria's part would take place in the morning, and the filming with the school set would take place in the afternoon.

Maria and Kyoko had run through the script and the blocking over and over, until Maria was perfectly comfortable with what needed to happen. This was good, because Kyoko just wasn't up to multiple NGs. Only it wasn't working out the way she had hoped. Maria was missing her cues, she was flubbing her blocking, and she just seemed listless. After about the tenth NG, even Kyoko was losing patience. "What is wrong with you, Maria? We've practiced all of this! You're wasting everyone's time."

Maria's face fell completely. With tear-filled eyes she rushed off of the set. The rest of the cast was irritated. Director Shinkai, having watched the whole interaction between Kyoko and Maria, suspected that there was an underlying cause for Maria's failure. "Let's take a ten-minute break, folks."

As he went to talk to Maria, Kyoko slumped into her chair. Mieko had just arrived, having gone on an errand for Kyoko since she knew how busy the girl's day would be. "What's wrong, Kyoko-san? Why isn't everyone on-set?"

Kyoko only shook her head distractedly. Mieko, puzzled, decided to impart her other news. "I've spoken with everyone about Maria's party tonight. They'll all be there. It must be so exciting for Maria to be on-set for the first ti…"

She stopped talking because Kyoko, with a look of shocked realization, had rushed down the hallway.

Maria was sitting in a dark cloud of gloom in the darkest corner of the lighting storage area when Director Shinkai found her. He was just about to speak to her when Kyoko rushed up. Her face showed both shame and regret as she passed right by him and rushed to where the twelve year-old was huddled. "Gomen, Maria-chan! Gomen nasai! Hontoni Gomen nasai! I was so wrapped up in my own problem that I completely forgot how important this day was for you! I'm the worst big sister in the world!"

Maria looked up from the floor and found Kyoko on her knees in front of her. One look at her onee-sama's face told her that she was sincere. "It's ok, Onee-sama. I…"

"It's not okay. This day is so important, and I ruined it for you," Kyoko's face was so broken the Maria rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her. Knowing that Kyoko still cared made everything right in Maria's world again.

Director Shinkai, seeing that things were well in hand, turned and headed back to the set.

"Can you forgive me, Maria-chan?" Kyoko begged.

"I forgive you, Onee-sama… you said you were wrapped up in your problem. What did you mean?"

Maria watched Kyoko's face contort as she tried to decide what to say. The twelve year old started to feel hurt again because Kyoko had always confided in her before. Kyoko saw this and quickly made her decision, "Maria-chan, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Onee-sama."

"I have a secret, but it's not just my secret. The other person involved doesn't know that I know… does that make sense?"

"I think so."

"Good. Until I speak with that person, I can't say anything to anybody. Even you, or Moko-san, or even Julie-san," Maria understood the seriousness of the situation now. If Kyoko couldn't share with Julie-san, than it must be a very terrible, momentous, earth-shattering secret. This only made Maria's curiosity worse, but at least now she knew that Kyoko wasn't excluding her specifically.

"I understand," she answered firmly.

"That's what distracted me this morning. I'm so sorry that I ruined your first day of acting. I'll never forgive myself." Kyoko had genuine tears of remorse in her eyes, but Maria quickly shook her head.

"No! You didn't! We still have two hours. We've practiced these scenes. Let's go back and do it perfectly!"

Kyoko smiled proudly at Maria, "You're the best imouto in the world. Let's go do this!"

And they did, without a single NG, except when someone else in the scene made a mistake.

_**Author's Note: **__Just a quick reminder, the first portion of this was shot second, and vice-versa._

**[**Tomiko stepped into the dining area where the other students were already eating. "Ano..." She said loudly. The conversations stopped, "I want to apologize for waking everyone up last night. Please forgive my rudeness."

Several students spoke up reassuringly, and Tomiko felt for her seat. One of the two girls who sat on either side of her felt her hand and guided her down. "I heard that you were a great pianist, Tomiko-san, but I didn't know you were _that_ good. I learned to play piano to learn music, but I started playing the clarinet as soon as I could. My name's Remi, by the way. Usami Remi."

"And my name's Okiku; Takiyama Okiku. I play the oboe."

"I'm pleased to meet you both."

"Tomiko-san?" Shimada-sensei called out to her.

"Hai, sensei?"

"You'll be working with Yamato-sensei today. Go to the same room you were at last night."

"Hai, Shimada-sensei."

Remi grabbed her arm excitedly, "Your lucky, girl. Yamato-sensei is the coolest teacher here! I love his voice, and the way he speaks makes my heart flutter."

"Yeah, that's true. I almost gave up the oboe and started learning piano when I found out that he teaches the gifted pianists."

Tomiko frowned, "Isn't he a little old, girls?"

"Hey," Okiku answered, "a girl can dream, can't she?"**]**

**[**_The scenes move rapidly through, showing teacher and student sitting at the piano. Interspersed between these scenes are scenes of Tomiko in different aspects of school life and interacting with her two new friends._**]**

**[**_Yamato guides Tomiko's hand along a Braille score-sheet and explains a difficult passage from __Mozart's 12 Variations in C Major 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman'__. The teacher always wears long-sleeve shirts, but this time the sleeve closest to her is riding up. The camera shows something unusual about his wrist, but does not focus in. Tomiko plays the passage, frowns, and reaches to the sheet at the same time as Yamato does. Her hand touches his wrist and she quickly yanks it back in horror._

Yamato clenched his fist for a moment. His other hand reached over and felt his exposed wrist. _The camera focuses in on the scar tissue there._ "It's okay, Tomiko-san. It happened a long time ago."

"But… but you seem so happy now. What… I mean why…"

"I believe that I mentioned that I could see for the first twenty-one years of my life?"

"Yes."

"I was on my way to fulfilling my dream of becoming a world-renowned conductor. I studied hard, worked hard, and practiced my art whenever I could. By the time I was twenty my name was already beginning to be recognized. And then I started getting headaches and blurry vision. Pretty soon I was having trouble focusing my eyes on the score. Then, right in the middle of a big concert, I just passed out.

"When I woke up, the doctors told me that I had a rare blood disease; and that I would lose my eyesight altogether within six months; it only took three. I thought that I had lost my dream forever. Eventually it overwhelmed me and I tried to end it all. Thankfully, the Maestro showed me how to find a hope again. He calls it 'A life worth living'."

Tomiko sat silently in thought, "He said something about that to me too. What does he mean by finding 'a life worth living'?"

"There's no single answer to that, Tomiko-san. Every person has to find the answer within himself or herself," He straightened up, stretched, "But that's for Shimada-sensei to talk to you about. _I_ am supposed to help you learn classical music. Let's get back to work."**]**

**[**_Tomiko is riding in the passenger seat of the van. She sits with her feet on the seat, hugging her knees again. Shimada is driving._

"I don't know why we need to go back to the hospital, Sensei. I hate that place."

"Tomiko-san, you and I both know that you can't play piano twenty-four hours a day. True, it helps you to forget your problems _while you play_; but music won't solve everything. Dr. Asai is a wonderful woman who truly cares about you. She's the one who was willing to put her neck, and her license on the line to see if my school can help you."

"Look, I'm playing music just like you asked. So when will people leave me alone and let me live my life?"

"When you've found a life worth living, Tomiko-san."

"I keep hearing that! What does that mean, exactly?" Tomiko asked, exasperated.

"Only you can answer that, Ishida Tomiko. What will make your life, or at least what you are doing with it, so valuable that you don't want to take your life?"

"I don't know," Tomiko answered softly.

"Then it is best for you to stay with us until you do. I will never leave you to live alone until you can answer that question for yourself."**]**

**[**_The camera shows Shimada leaning against the wall in a hallway. Dr. Asai's office has a glass window and the blinds are open. Tomiko sits upright in a chair and answers Dr. Asai's questions while Shimada watches doctors and patients pass by. One girl in particular, a very pretty blond twelve year old, catches his attention. She walks listlessly down the hall, led by a nurse. She is told to take a seat close to where Shimada is standing and to wait. The nurse turns and starts gossiping with the nurse at the reception desk._

_The door opens next to him. Dr. Asai and Tomiko walk out._

"Tomiko-san, there's a piano in the chapel right down the hall," She motions for a nurse to assist, "If you would like, Nurse Tamaki can lead you down there. Nobody will be in there at this time of day, so feel free to play piano all that you wish. I need to speak with Maestro Shimada."

Tomiko nods and allows the nurse to lead her past the young girl and down to a set of double-doors.

_The scene switches to Dr. Asai speaking with Shimada. Through the office window the little girl can be seen staring at nothing, almost comatose._

"You got her to play again. I'm amazed."

"It wasn't me. It was her own hunger for music, with a little help from her dorm mother."

"Still…"

"She has a long way to go yet. It's exactly what your father taught me: she needs to find her own reason for living."

_The scene switches to the hallway, where Tomiko's piano playing can be faintly heard. The two nurses at the desk are still talking. The seat where the young girl was sitting is empty._

Tomiko's fingers were flying through Bach's _Inventio 11_. She seemed unaware of the twelve year old girl standing beside the bench. She stood, looking back and forth between Tomiko and the piano. As the last notes faded Tomiko spoke, "You know, it's rude to sneak up on a blind person."

The girl looked frightened. She said a soft "I'm sorry" and turned to go.

"Wait!" Tomiko said. "Come sit down."

The girl looked at her skittishly, but she finally stepped forward and took a tentative seat.

"Your name?"

"Ha-Hattori Akiko," was the almost inaudible reply.

"You know, blind people don't bite. My name is Ishida Tomiko. You ever heard of me?"

"N-no."

"Good. It's about time that somebody hasn't. Do you know how to play piano?"

"I'm not smart enough," Akiko answered meekly, her head bowed.

"Nonsense. Whoever said you had to be smart to play piano. Here, see where my fingers are? I'll scoot over and you put your fingers in the same spot…"

_The scene switches back to the hallway. Dr. Mikado stands with a clipboard in his hand, looking around for his next patient. He turns to the nurse leaning on the counter gossiping._

"Nurse, where is Hattori Akiko?"

The nurse looked over at the seat where she had left the girl. Then she looked up in alarm into Dr. Mikado's face.

_The scene switches to Dr. Asai and Shimada talking in the office. They notice everyone rushing around in the hallway. Dr. Asai heads to the office door._

_The scene switches to the chapel, where Tomiko has Akiko playing chopsticks, using her own hands to assist. Akiko is smiling. The door pops open and the same nurse, seeing Akiko sitting on the piano bench, rushes in angrily and starts to grab the girl. Akiko hugs Tomiko in fright._

"Come with me, you little…" The nurse starts to pull at the girl.

"STOP!" Tomiko shouted, standing up and pulling Akiko close. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Dr. Mikado rushed in. "What's going on here? Oh, it's _you_. Let the girl go, _Ms. Ishida_ [_his tone_ _communicated his disdain for the older girl_]. She is supposed to be in my office right now. Come along, girl."

Akiko was even more frightened by the doctor's deep voice. She hugged Tomiko tighter, burying her face in the older girl's shoulder. Tomiko, her face red with anger, moved so that she was in-between the girl and the others. "I don't know what kind of place this is supposed to be, but you should have the sense not to scare a little girl. I know you're voice, _Doctor_; how can you still be here?"

"Dr. Mikado," Dr. Itami, the elderly head physician, spoke as he stepped into the chapel, "What's going on here?" Dr. Asai and Shimada followed quickly in on his heels.

"This… this trouble-causer is interfering with one of my patients. Hattori-san is supposed to be meeting with me right now. But _she_ lured her into here with her music. Who knows what kind of…"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Itami demanded authoritatively. "Dr. Mikado, you are relieved of responsibility in this matter. Go to my office and wait there for me."

"But…," Dr. Mikado spluttered.

"Now," the word was spoken evenly, but with ice behind it.

"Dr. Asai, Maestro Shimada-san, you will stay. Everyone else, return to your duties." After the others had filed out, he turned back to the two girls, "Hattori-san, everything's okay now. Did you walk in here on your own?"

The girl nodded, her face still buried in Tomiko's shoulder.

Tomiko held the girl protectively, "Look, I don't understand what the problem is, but Akiko-chan is frightened half out of her wits. I was just teaching her chopsticks. What's the big deal?"

Dr. Itami looked at the blind girl speculatively, "How did you know her first name, Ishida-san?"

Tomiko snorted, "She told me. That's a stupid question."

Dr. Asai looked at Dr. Itami in surprise, "No, Ishida-san, it's not a stupid question. You see, Hattori Akiko hasn't spoken with anyone in two years."**]**

"Cut! That's a wrap. Good job, everyone."

Kyoko smiled at Maria-chan as they disengaged from each other. "You were wonderful, Maria-chan. You captured Akiko perfectly! I'm so proud!"

Maria was accosted by several others who wanted to also extend their praises. Kyoko just stood back and watched her little sister glow. _I almost ruined her big day. I can't let my own issues follow me to work. But, then again, my issue is here right now._ She looked over to where Mieko was talking to Harada Yoshida and she frowned.

* * *

**Notes:** I really, really would like to make this into a movie. Maybe someday.

Please review or I'm going to start singing "Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I'm going to go eat worms."


	10. Enigma

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 10 – Enigma**

There is a big difference between the first filming for a young unknown and the first filming for the granddaughter of the largest talent agency in Japan. Kyoko had _intended_ a small celebration with Maria's closest friends. She should have planned for the Takarada-Factor.

**Given:** There is only one thing that Takarada Lory loves more than a good romance: Maria.

**Given:** There is one interest that runs a close third in the race for Takarada Lory's attention: Parties.

**Given:** There are three subjects for which Takarada Lory has a special, built-in antenna: Maria, Love, and Parties. If you try to keep information pertaining to any of these three subjects hidden from him, you will fail… utterly… completely… miserably.

Kyoko had intended a small party for about twenty at the Darumaya. Once The Boss became involved, it became a "small" party for about three-hundred at the Takarada Mansion. In the end Ren advised her to give in gracefully.

The change of venue turned out to be fortuitous. In the short time since she, Mieko, and Maria had first visited Oshima School, Maria had made several good friends. At her own school too many of her peers were either jealous of her or solicitous of her connections. Those that were solicitous were more interested in her money and position than in her. But the students at Oshima didn't seem to care in the least about her wealth or parentage. They liked her because she shared their interest in music and because she was always cheerful. Of course, they didn't realize that she was only always cheerful when her Onee-sama was around. But still, they liked her and wanted to be her friends. Already their numbers exceeded what Kyoko could have squeezed into the Darumaya.

Takarada Lory was pleased to charter a luxury bus to pick up the students, and several faculty members, from Oshima School. He had phoned earlier in the week and advised the principal that music would be the focus of the night. If any student wanted to bring an instrument, then he or she should. Many, including Shimada Tokoji, did bring their instruments.

Director Shinkai was there of course, with many of the cast and crew. Only Shinkai knew what had taken place in the storage room that morning. Although the others weren't aware of what caused the problems, everyone was relieved when Maria had returned with Kyoko and delivered a spot-on performance. They had witnessed the chemistry between Kyoko and Maria, and they had great hopes now that the movie would be an overwhelming success.

Kyoko tried her best to keep her spirits bright for Maria's sake, but Harada Yoshida was there. His good looks, dignified air, and rich voice made him stand out wherever he was in the spacious ballroom. Ren sensed her confused feelings and stayed close to her, offering his warmth and love to sooth her hurt, self-doubt and anger. "We'll talk to him after the party, Kyoko. Try not to let it bother you for a few more hours."

The big surprise of the night came when Julie and Amamiya Chiori arrived. "I know that we weren't expected for another two days, but we didn't want to miss Maria's party." They both hugged Maria and congratulated her. Kyoko couldn't help but notice the guarded, almost skittish look on Chiori's face. That too would have to wait until another time.

There was music; oh was there music! Almost everyone who could play did play. Lory had hired a string quartet, but they were soon displaced by the students from Oshida. Tokijo succeeded in luring Maria to the piano, and soon twenty school age musicians were wowing the guests with their rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in C major. Shortly thereafter Kyoko was dragged to the Piano to show of her improvement with the 3rd movement of Appassionata. Before long the hired musicians and the student musicians had broken down any barriers and the party had become a concert.

Nishimura Rumiko was attending, both as a representative of the producers and as a friend. She was so enchanted by the young musicians that she became determined to have them appear on her show. But it was something else that caught her attention and raised serious questions in her mind. At one point during the night the students begged Harada Yoshida and Kyoko to play the piano together. As they sat together and played Mozart, Rumiko's old scandal-antenna was on full-alert. It was the eyes that did it; those golden-brown eyes. She had noticed them while talking to the enchanting man. Now, as she saw the two sitting together and playing, she saw those eyes together. _Is he… no, it's not possible… right?_

Rumiko wasn't the only one to notice. Julie had noticed how withdrawn Kyoko had seemed all evening. She had seemed unusually skittish and jumpy. Now she had a feeling that she knew why. _I'll wait until she's ready to talk to me about it._ She looked over at her tall, handsome son and noticed the intensity on his face. _I hope they don't make me wait too long._

Yashiro had arrived a little late with his beautiful date on his arm. When they saw the musicians, they couldn't resist requesting music they could dance to. Despite the fact that they couldn't hold a candle to Yashiro and Shouko, Ren dragged Kyoko out onto the dance floor. Rumbas, sambas, and even a tango lured others out and soon the floor was full. Mieko was surprised when Harada asked her to dance. "Don't worry, I can't see, but I still remember how to twirl around a beautiful woman. Just lead me to a spot where I won't step on anyone."

It wasn't long before the handsome man had a list of ladies wanting a turn around the floor. Maria tried to drag Tokoji out, but he begged off. She had to content herself with dancing with Harada, Ren, Yashiro, and her grandfather.

Kotonami Kanae arrived, escorted by two young men. Hiou looked debonair in his suit, and he seemed inordinately pleased to have Kanae on his arm. Andy, the handsome Australian actor who had starred in _Runaway Royalty _with Kanae and Hiou, began scanning the room as soon as they arrived. He found the object of his interest sitting off by herself. When Kyoko had called earlier in the evening to inform Kanae that Julie and Amamiya had arrived two days early, he had been surprised at his own reaction. Suddenly he had felt both overjoyed and slightly nervous. He had only met the girl twice, but she had stayed on his mind since then. It is a cruel twist of fate to meet a person who truly interests you one month after she meets someone else. But now, according to Kanae, she was alone again.

"Excuse me, Chiori-san?" Amamiya Chiori looked up to see a handsome blonde teen with the open, friendly face, "Amamiya Chiori-san, correct? Do you remember me?"

It took her a moment before she finally put a name to his face, "Andy Hammond, yes?"

He smiled, pleased to know that she did remember, "Would you care to dance?"

She was reluctant at first, but his friendly manner persuaded her. Once she allowed herself to be led onto the floor she enjoyed the remainder of the evening.

A fun time was had by all, but most of them had work the next day, and Maria had both school and work. Everyone congratulated her one final time and began departing. While the Oshida students were boarding the bus, Ren and Kyoko accosted Harada Yoshida. "Sensei, we were hoping for a few words with you. Would you allow us to drive you back to the school?"

Harada looked surprised, but unconcerned, "It would be my honor."

**oOoOOoOo**

Harada Yoshida was surprised again when, after he took his seat in the back, Kyoko sat next to him instead of in front with her husband. He could sense that something was amiss, but without being able to see faces, he couldn't decide what it was. Ren engaged him in pleasant, basically meaningless conversation about the party and the movie while Kyoko fidgeted.

Finally, with shaking hands, she extracted the envelope from her purse. "S-Sensei…"

"Yes?"

She watched his face as she spoke her next words, "Ren-dono and I were in Kyoto yesterday…"

His pleasant smile started to fall, but then became fixed. "Was the weather nice there?"

"Yes… I mean… look, Harada-sensei, I was handed something that belonged to my mother… her mail actually." Kyoko was desperate for an answer, and just as scared as to what the answer might be.

Harada's face was grim as he waited for her to continue, "One piece of mail, actually… and it was sent by you."

His face looked sad as he listened. He nodded acknowledgement, but didn't speak.

"Are… I mean… could you be… Harada-sensei, are you my father?" She spoke the last in a rush of desperation.

Harada Yoshida reached out his two big hands and took one of her small hands, "Mogami Kyoko-san, I'd give anything, anything in the world to be your father. But I am not."

**oOoOOoOo**

During the remainder of the forty-minute drive he told his story.

"I met your mother when I was just starting to conduct. She was stunningly beautiful, at least to me. From the moment I saw her I couldn't see another woman. She must have seen something in me as well, because we started dating soon after.

"Saena was a musician too, but she was involved in promotion work at the time I knew her. She wanted the 'perfect' life. Everything exactly right, everything in its proper place." He was still holding one of her hands, and he felt her sudden tension.

Kyoko, though stunned by his denial about being her father and mesmerized by his cultured voice, was still able to respond drily, "Yes. I encountered her perfectionism."

"You mentioned that you weren't close to your mother," Harada said caringly, "Was she hard to live with?"

Two years ago, maybe even less, and Kyoko's demonic minions would have been circling. But the time for her consuming anger had passed. She had learned to forgive. "It was hard. I was never good enough for her."

Harada's face was a mask of sadness. Without realizing it his hand was stroking hers. "It was the same for me. She was never satisfied. Still, I loved her dearly. I even got her to consent to marrying me. And then I began to lose my eyesight. My case is the same as my character in the script. I had a rare blood disorder that attacked my optic nerves and my equilibrium. Thankfully it left my hearing unscathed." He sighed and remained silent for long enough that Kyoko was about to speak, but then he continued.

"As soon as she found out about my illness, she began to pull away. One day I returned to my home to find all of her things gone. She didn't love me enough to see past my illness. I thought that it would kill me." He was silent again.

"Harada-sensei… the scars on you wrist are real…?"

He turned his sightless eyes on her, "Yes. The first time was there, in my home. I drank for days after Saena left, but it didn't help. I tried to compose, but no music came. I sank into a depression. And then I tried to take my life. A friend who came to check on me found me and got me to the hospital.

"I tried once more, five months later, when the blindness was complete. This time it was Kamo-san who came to the hospital. He worked with the blind, even then. He stayed with me day and night. He made me learn Braille; made me play piano; made me live."

"So, it was music that saved you?"

"No. Music, even when it's played for the enjoyment of others, focuses the musician inward. Kamo made me focus on helping others, just like in our movie. He taught me to stop fixating on my problems and focus on helping others. It took a long time before I was 'safe'. There were many dark periods where I almost fell into depression all over again.

"The worst of these happened about two years ago, Kyoko-san. Two years ago I heard your name on the radio. A commentator was talking about how incredible your Mio was. When he said your name and your age, I almost blacked out," Harada struggled to keep his composure. "You see… Saena and I were… intimate… even though we weren't married yet. When she left me I never heard from her again. When I heard your name, I knew that you had to be her daughter. And when I heard your age… I thought… I hoped…" He had to stop speaking. Kyoko had forgotten her own concerns and was only worried about him now.

After a few ragged breaths, he started again, "I asked a friend to track down Saena. He found her address and I had the friend help me write her a note. I asked her if I was your father, Kyoko-san. She sent back a very angry reply, telling me that I wasn't your father and that she and I had no connection anymore. I didn't believe her, so I sent a second letter, demanding a paternity test. She finally agreed. I took a trip down to Kyoto, where a doctor took a sample of my DNA and tested it against yours. The results were conclusive: I wasn't your father."

"I was so disappointed that I might have become suicidal again, but Kamo-san called me up and recruited me for his school…"

Harada looked so sad that Kyoko reached over and hugged him. Such physical affection between veritable strangers was unnatural for the Japanese culture… and against Kyoko's normal inclinations… yet somehow it was perfectly natural for Kyoko to comfort this man. Even though he wasn't her father, as she had hoped, she stilled cared for him.

They rode on in silence through the dark night. It began to rain heavily, which seemed somehow fitting for the somber mood inside of the car. Only the sounds of the rain, the tires on the road, and the windshield wipers broke the silence. Eventually Yoshida sat up and Kyoko released him; but his large hand still held hers. Kyoko felt terribly disappointed, yet she still felt a bond with this man, even he wasn't her father.

Ren saw the interchange and felt pity for both his beautiful wife and this sad man. Something about the story bothered him. He remained silent and contemplative for a long time, focusing on the road. He pondered the woman who had so cruelly cast Harada Yoshida aside… the same woman who had been so cruel and dismissive to her own daughter. At the back of his mind that niggling feeling persisted… and then he finally saw the discrepancy. "Harada-san, when did you say that this test took place?"

"About twenty-six months ago."

Ren met Kyoko's startled eyes through the rear-view mirror, "Kyoko, when was the last time you spoke with your mother?"

"Eight years ago. I received two letters after that, but nothing since six years ago." Kyoko was confused by Ren's question at first, but then her eyes widened in shocked realization. "I never heard a single word from her after I moved to Tokyo."

Harada was listening intently to the conversation, "But… then how did she…?"

Ren saw the hope in Kyoko's face and he hoped that she wouldn't be disappointed again, "Harada-sensei, I think that we should have another paternity test done. If you are willing, of course?"

* * *

**Notes:** Lots of little details in this chapter; hopefully not too many at once.

Andy is an OC from _Runaway Royalty_. He will become important for this story as well.

Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited and followed this and all my stories.


	11. Akiko

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 11 – Akiko**

Maria was delivered to the set bright and early the next morning. She had a moment of concern when she saw how distracted Kyoko was, but it didn't last. Kyoko saw Maria and her conflicted expression turned instantly into a bright smile. "Good morning, Maria-chan. All studied up and ready to go?"

Maria smiled. "Of course, Onee-sama." One thing that she admired about Kyoko was her attitude about work. Whatever else went on in her world, when the set went "hot," Kyoko was ready. Kyoko automatically expected the same from Maria, which the twelve year old took as the highest possible compliment. She wasn't just a walk-on, she was a cast-member, and Kyoko accepted her as an actress.

"Good morning, ladies," Harada-san's rich, deep voice startled both young ladies. Maria noticed that Kyoko was a little flustered, but she couldn't understand why. Harada was alone, walking with a cane. One of the school custodians stood by a car in the parking lot.

Kyoko bowed, and then felt silly. "Harada-sensei, you're early. I wasn't expecting to see you until around ten.

_Odd, _Maria thought, _I didn't think that he was supposed to be here until this afternoon._

"I asked Principal Kamo for the day off," Harada replied. "I wanted to listen to the performance before our appointment."

_Appointment? _Maria looked over to see Kyoko's flushed face. _What exactly…_ And then Maria remembered her onee-sama's words from the previous day. _So… whatever secret she was talking about must have something to do with Harada-sensei. Grrr… I hate not knowing!_

"Mogami-san, Takarada-san," a voice called, "We need you in make-up!"

Kyoko and Maria led Harada to a chair near the set and then excused themselves.

**[**_Dr. Mikado paces the floor in Dr. Itami's spacious office. He is clearly agitated and angry. Dr. Itami opens the door, walks in, and shuts it behind him. He looks at Mikado sadly, then walks behind his desk and takes a seat._

"How dare you humiliate me in front of the patients and staff?!" Dr. Mikado said as he walked up and loomed over the desk.

"Please sit down, Doctor," Itami answered patiently.

"You have the audacity to tell me to _go to your office!_ Like I'm some kind of…"

"SIT DOWN, Doctor Mikado!" Itami shut off the younger man's tirade with his firmly spoken command. He glared at the younger man until he was sitting, "What I did in the chapel was to prevent you from making a bigger fool of yourself than you were already doing. I didn't humiliate you, you were humiliating yourself AND the professional staff of this hospital. What is the first rule of the medical profession, _Doctor_ Mikado?"

Dr. Mikado glared at the older man, who met his gaze and held it. "First do no harm," he answered softly.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe that I heard you."

"First do no harm!" Dr. Mikado repeated angrily.

"Good, you know that much. But you decide to verbally attack a clinically depressed patient whose only crime was to protect another patient from your unreasonable attitude. Did you even notice that Hattori Akiko was _interacting_ with another human being?"

Dr. Mikado continued to look stubborn, but his eyebrows furrowed. "That's right," Itami continued, "furthermore, she actually _talked to _Ishida Tomiko! After more than two years we have a breakthrough and you almost threw it all away!"

"I suppose next your going to send Akiko off to that charlatan's school? You have one freak talking to another freak, and suddenly you're going to throw out the book and make your own rules?"

Dr. Itami looked at the younger man sadly, "'Freak,' Doctor? In one word you've just managed to explain why you haven't helped one patient in the last two years that you've been with us. I'm afraid that you don't have what it takes to work in this facility. Clean out your locker, _Doctor_, you no longer have a job here."

Dr. Mikado's eyes widened in shock, "You can't fire me! I'm the best-trained physician and psychiatrist you have!"

Dr. Itami leaned back, both hands flat on his desk, "That's why I hired you, Mikado-san. But all of your book-learning didn't teach you one ounce of compassion. You have thirty minutes to be out of this building."**]**

**[**_Dr. Asai, Maestro Shimada, Tomiko and Akiko sit in the Doctor's office. Akiko sits right next to Tomiko, holding her hand._

"Well, it seems that Hattori-san has attached herself to you. That does present a few problems," Dr. Asai said, watching the two girls.

"What problem? Keep that quack away from her and she'll be fine. Better yet, send her home with me," Tomiko said defiantly. Shimada raised an eyebrow in amused surprise as he looked at Asai's scowling face.

"As I said, a few problems," Dr. Asai started counting off on her fingers, oblivious to the fact that Tomiko couldn't see her, "One: she is not blind. Two: you are a student, not a teacher and not a physician. Three: she is listed as clinically depressed, so she isn't allowed to leave."

Shimada remained silent as he looked back and forth between the lady doctor and the two girls. His face showed the intensity of his thoughts.

Tomiko was clearly unimpressed with the Doctor's reasoning, "I'll give you some numbers of my own, Doctor Asai. _One:_ you said that she's been here for two years. What good has it done her? _Two:_ she will speak with me. She's scared of that other jerk. _Three:_ _I'm_ supposed to be clinically depressed, but you let Sensei take me." Then Tomiko turned her blind eyes towards the smaller girl. Her voice softened slightly, "And Four: does it look like she's letting go anytime soon?"

Before Asai could answer, Shimada spoke up, "Tomiko-san, you haven't shown any interest before this week in anyone else. Why are you suddenly getting serious about a girl you've never met before one hour ago?"

Tomiko started to reply sharply and then stopped. She used her free hand to feel Akiko's hand. Then she touched Akiko's face, examining her features, "I don't know, Sensei. But she found me, and I have to protect her." Tomiko slowly moved her hand back to rest on her lap.

"What if she gets on your nerves, or cramps your movements, or becomes a bore? What then? She is not a pet you can adopt. Hattori Akiko is a twelve year old girl with serious life issues. Are you ready to deal with that?" Shimada spoke calmly and seriously, one adult speaking with another.

As the two older people watched, Tomiko's face became a mask of conflicting emotions. She reached a tentative hand towards the younger girl's face again, stopping mid-reach. Akiko reached for the hand and pressed it against her face. Tomiko's expression was suddenly filled with wonder, as if she were recognizing another human being for the first time. Abruptly she stood up, as if to escape the intensity of her emotions. Akiko began to stand up as well, but Shimada waved a hand, making it clear with his eyes that she should wait.

Finally, Tomiko squared her shoulders, "I would need help from others, but yes, I can deal with her. If she can't go with me, then I will remain here with her." Her words had an air of finality about them. Akiko stood then and went to her side.

Dr. Asai leaned back, rubbing the bridge of her nose with two fingers, "Dr. Itami's going to have my hide for this."

Shimada wasn't finished, "One more thing. Hattori Akiko, I know that you can hear and understand my words. If you won't speak with me and with my staff, then we can't help you. Do you understand what Tomiko-san is asking us to do here?"

Akiko looked skittishly at the friendly, elderly man. Then she looked up at Tomiko's face. Tomiko, sensing that the girl was looking at her, nodded and squeezed the girl's hand. "Yes."

Shimada smiled his kindest smile, "'Yes' what, Akiko-san?"

"Yes," she repeated softly, "I understand... please?"**]**

**[**_Tomiko and Akiko sit at the piano in the chapel again. Akiko is paying attention as Tomiko teaches her._

_Maestro Shimada, Dr. Asai, and Dr. Itami stand at the door. Itami allows the door to shut so that the three can talk in the hallway._

Dr. Itami crossed his arms and held his chin with one hand, "It was different with Ishida. She's nineteen years old. But Hattori is twelve. Granted, she's our ward, since her parents are dead. But if word of this leaks out…"

"But this is the first time that she's spoken a single word. Tomiko-san even got her to speak with Maestro Shimada." Dr. Asai clearly wanted to say more, but she understood the gravity of the problem herself.

Dr. Itami turned and looked out of the window on the other side of the hall. Piano played softly and haltingly in the background as the elderly doctor held that position.

_The scene switches to the two girls playing in the room. The camera is filming through the wired glass of the door. Tomiko is showing Akiko how to position her hands better to reach a note. The scene fades back and switches to show Itami's face as the light outside of the window illuminates his worried features._

Shimada spoke up, "What if we had a psychiatrist on-site at least part of the day?"

"What are you suggesting," Itami asked.

Shimada looked at Dr. Asai. The lady doctor's eyes went wide, "Wait a minute. I have responsibilities here. I can't just drop everything for one patient."

"What if you just stayed there during the evenings?" Dr. Itami asked.

"Doctor! She's not even my patient! She's assigned to Dr. Mikado."

"Dr. Mikado is no longer working for us, Asai-san."

Dr. Asai's eyes grew even wider. She met the chief doctor's eyes, and then looked past him through the rectangular glass in the door to where the girls played piano.

_The scene fades after focusing in on the girls again. Akiko is plunking out her first tune on her own._**]**

**oOoOOoOo**

Lunch was called. The studio where they were filming the hospital scenes was only five minutes away from LME. In the interests of discretion, Ren picked Kyoko and Harada up as soon as a break was called, and drove them to LME. Lory's personal physician was there waiting for them. It took less than five minutes to collect the necessary samples.

In two days they would know the truth. Ren couldn't tell whether his wife or Harada was more nervous. _I hope that I haven't gotten her hopes up for no reason. _But when he glanced into the rear-view mirror and saw the reflection of the older man's sightless golden eyes, Ren was more certain than ever.

**oOoOOoOo**

**[**_Dr. Asai pulls her car up next to the van, in front of the school compound. She climbs out of her car and waits as Shimada, Tomiko, and Akiko climb out of the van._

"This is a two-day trial-period, ladies. Akiko still has to come with me to the hospital during the day, but she will be allowed to spend the next two evenings and nights here. Dr. Itami is a very good man, and he's sticking his neck out here." She did not mention the fact that she was doing the same thing. They were all highly aware of Dr. Mikado's powerful family connections.

Akiko held Tomiko's hand as the four of them walked along the garden path toward the left wing. Akiko, for the first time, took an interest in her surroundings. The ornamental bushes and trees were wonderful, and she was trying to look in every direction at once. There was a student trimming one of the hedges. Akiko stopped to watch, pulling Tomiko up short.

"Akiko-chan?"

"She's just watching Namiko-san sculpting a hedge. It is quite beautiful," Shimada said, clearly pleased that Akiko was taking an interest. Then he turned to Tomiko, "Have you apologized to her yet?"

Akiko and Dr. Asai looked back and forth between the teacher and Tomiko, "I haven't," the girl replied, "I have honestly tried to, but I can never seem to get her to stop and talk to me."

Akiko's face became decisive. She ran over to where the other girl was trimming the hedge. The doctor and Shimada watched, perplexed. After a short minute Akiko was leading a reluctant Namiko over to the path. "Here she is, Onee-sama," Akiko said softly.

Tomiko looked startled, "Onee-sama? Um… Akiko-chan, _who's_ here?"

Namiko, having heard Tomiko's voice, began to look angry and was trying to pull back, but Akiko was determined. Shimada spoke up, "Namiko-san, what's our rule about conflict?"

Namiko stopped struggling and slumped a little in embarrassment, "Never let the sun go down on your anger."

Before Shimada could speak again, Tomiko spoke, "Namiko-san, I'm truly sorry for how I treated you on that first day. I was… it was a bad… I won't make an excuse. I was wrong."

Namiko seemed to leave the moment hanging, "Shimada-sensei told me that I shouldn't have rushed you. I'm sorry too," she heaved a sigh of relief. "At least I didn't throw away all of your CD's like I was going to."

Tomiko's face turned red, "You... have my CD's?" Her face became pensive, "Maybe you should have thrown them away."

"Oh no, are you crazy? They're great. I even have the one you made when you were seven."

Tomiko groaned in embarrassment, "Maybe, if you've forgiven me, you could promise not to play them for anyone else?"

"But… but… everyone's already heard them, Tomiko-san; lots of times."

Dr. Asai's eyes met Shimada's as she covered her mouth to hide her laughter at Tomiko's horrified expression.**]**

**[**_Maestro Shimada stood in front of the packed dining room with Dr. Asai. Tomiko and Akiko are not in the room._

"Students, faculty, I've told everyone here my story. When I lost my wife all that I wanted to do was die. I attempted suicide twice, and would have done so again, had it not been for Doctor Asai. He devoted his life to helping lost souls such as myself. He even helped me to found this school. Standing next to me is Dr. Asai Nori. She has followed in her father's footsteps. She is Ishida Tomiko's attending psychiatrist. You have also probably already heard through the school's gossip-line that there is a new girl here; a girl who is not blind?"

There were murmurs at this. Not every student seemed especially happy to have an able-bodied girl running around the school. Shimada spoke again, "Please remember that this is a school for the broken, not just for the blind. Over the years we have specialized in helping those who have lost their sight, but that is not exclusive." He paused to let his words sink in, "Please welcome Dr. Asai. She has a few words for you."

"Thank you, Maestro. Hattori Akiko is a twelve year-old girl who has undergone an extremely traumatic experience. She has not spoken for the last two years, until today. She barely interacted with any other human beings either. But today she opened up to Tomiko-san. After that she has interacted with me and Shimada-sensei and even another young lady from this school. We want to capitalize on this breakthrough, so we are allowing her to remain with Tomiko-san for a short trial-period.

"Neither Tomiko-san nor Akiko-san are out of danger yet. I am not at liberty to discuss their cases with you. But I do know that Shimada-sensei is very open and honest with you about the need to care for each other and to assist each other in times of need. Today both girls may be pleasant to you. Tomorrow one or the other, or even both, may be rude. Please be tolerant. Certain behaviors are unacceptable, of course. All we ask of you is the same respect and care that you were shown when you were brought here."**]**

**oOoOOoOo**

Maria's time was up and it was time for afternoon school. Kyoko gave her a big hug, "You were wonderful, Maria-chan. I love the way you play Akiko."

Maria smiled brightly, "That's because I have the best character actress in the world for an example." She suddenly looked tentative, as if wanting to ask a question, "Kyoko-chan… your secret…"

Kyoko knelt down a little so that they were at eye-level, "Soon, Maria-chan, I promise. Things are a little… confusing right now. In two days, no matter what happens, I'll tell you. I promise."

Maria heard her chauffer calling, "Okay, Onee-chan. I'll wait. Ja-mata."

As she watched the pretty blond girl climb into the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, Kyoko sighed, _Two days is going to seem like forever._

**oOoOOoOo**

A very handsome young Japanese man sat with one ankle resting on his other knee. His eyes never left the boarding gate as he waited for the first boarding call. Even when several young ladies tried to flirt, his gaze remained fixedly in-place. His face was set in a pleasant smile, so nobody around him had the slightest idea of the dark and dangerous thoughts racing through his mind.

"_Good afternoon and your attention please: We will now begin boarding first-class passengers for Flight 867, direct to Tokyo. Please have your boarding pass and passport ready as you approach the attendant."_

* * *

**Notes:** Before anyone writes to say that it doesn't make sense for Tomiko, or Akiko for that matter, to be so cheerful, let me write this in my defense. One of the frustrating problems with depression is that it is hard for a layman to spot _precisely because_ the person is not always depressed. Often a person with clinical depression will have wonderful, uplifting days in the middle of the worst periods of depression. (No, I'm not providing spoilers here.)

Just because the two girls have found each-other as friends doesn't mean that either is out of danger. On the contrary, crippling depression can attack suddenly, often when the person is alone with nobody to keep him or her from injury. Mood shifts are also common. One day a person may be pleasant, the next day she may offend everyone around her.


	12. Amamiya Chiori

**A Life worth Living**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SkipBeat or any of its characters.

_Maria was a child lost in bitterness and guilt until the strange short-haired, golden-eyed Kyoko came along and changed her life forever. Now Kyoko is at it again, giving Maria a challenge she just can't pass up. In the process, Kyoko will make her own amazing discovery._

**Chapter 12 – Amamiya Chiori**

Julie was staying in the same hotel suite that she and her husband had used on previous visits. Ren and Kyoko had tried to persuade her to stay with them, but she had begged off, "You're still newlyweds. You need your privacy. And besides, I need plenty of space to get ready for my show."

All of this was true, but it wasn't the real reason for her decision. Her real reason was the depressed-looking young lady who was sitting, sipping tea at the kitchenette counter. Unlike her fellow former LoveMe members, Amamiya Chiori had not had a good year. The movie that she had gone to the United States to film had been plagued by cost overruns, personality conflicts, and an indecisive director. Her love life had turned into something akin to a nightmare. And she felt like a total failure next to Kyoko and Kanae.

Chiori's mother had been completely opposed to her decision to take the job in America. She didn't feel that it was appropriate for an eighteen year old girl to run off to another country unescorted, especially when there was a young man involved. Now she saw that her mother had been right. But she wasn't ready for the "I told you so" looks from her mother. She knew that her mother loved her and cared for her, but moving back in with her mother would seem like the ultimate admission of failure to her… besides, she didn't want her mother to guess the true extent of her problems with the man she had thought would be the love of her life.

Julie the Wise had seen all of this and understood. Her solution was simple, "Chiori, I'm going to need an assistant while I get ready for the fashion show. If you are willing to take on the job, you'll have to be available twenty-four hours a day. That means that you'll have to stay in my suite with me."

Chiori wasn't fooled, of course. Just like the other girls, she knew that Julie Hizuri had a sixth-sense for when "her girls" were in trouble. When things had gone really bad, it was Julie she had run to. Now she was grateful to the beautiful older lady again. But it still didn't help how she was feeling about her life.

A year ago she had been so happy. She had a debut movie with a promising script. She had friends after years of loneliness and hidden anger. And she had met the man of her dreams. But the movie had been a disaster from start to finish. Her friends were becoming increasingly successful, which made her failure even more pronounced. And her dream relationship had become a nightmare.

At first it was incredibly flattering that Hiraga Akio had thought about her ever since they had acted together as children. But his devotion had turned out to be obsession. At first his attention was endearing. Later, it began to seem stifling. As time went on his obsession took the form of jealousy, possessiveness, and control. If a man looked at her, he became angry. If she spoke to a man, he became enraged. Eventually he started keeping her from going anywhere, checking her bank account, her gas mileage, her cell phone. It was after Ren and Kyoko's visit to the Hizuri's that she knew that she would have to escape. Akio had refused to allow her to see her friend, making up one excuse after another, until he finally just took her phone and her car keys away.

Then one day a teenaged boy knocked on their door to sell chocolate for a fundraising drive at the same moment that Akio pulled into the driveway. In a rage the actor and model leaped out of the car, rushed up the drive and got in the poor terrified boy's face. After less than a minute of Akio's screaming and pushing, the boy ran away. Then Akio proceeded to hurl the chocolate into the street in a paroxysm of rage. It was then that Chiori knew that it was only a matter of time before Akio's possessiveness turned into outright abuse.

She had been shaking on the following day that she snuck over to a neighbor's house and used the phone to call the Hizuris, convinced that Akio would reappear to catch her at any minute. Her escape via airplane had been an epic of mind-numbing terror. She had recovered some of her equilibrium during the flight, yet she was still pale and shaking when Julie and Kuu picked her up at John Wayne International. Kuu made sure that she was safe in their mansion, but she had still been glad when the airplane had finally taken off for Japan. Even here she didn't feel entirely safe.

_Why? Why don't things work out for me? _She repeatedly had to fight down her old, bitter self again and again in the last few days. Mari and Kyoko were happily married. Kyoko and Kanae's faces were everywhere; on billboards and commercials; on movie posters and advertisements for dramas; and on celebrity news. Aiko Mari, the stunt-woman who had been Kyoko's double in _Ronin's Children, _had married Kurosaki and was expecting a child. Due to Kyoko's patronage, the wild, fearless girl was rapidly on her way to becoming the sexy poster-girl for the stunt profession.

As far as Chiori knew, nobody even knew who _she_ was anymore. A part of her wanted to pull out one of her trusty old notebooks and write page after page of hateful words. But she knew in her heart that it wasn't her friends' faults she was a failure.

Julie had been wonderful. She would often give Chiori hugs, but she never forced her friendship or advice on her. When Chiori wanted to talk, she always made the time. When she wanted to be alone, she was left alone. And when she suddenly needed to cry, Julie's shoulder was suddenly there for her. The older lady made her feel like _she_ was the most important person at that moment in her life.

Kuu was, as always, the kindly father-figure. He was a bastion of strength and protectiveness, yet he instinctively sensed that it was his wife's motherly gifts that the young lady needed. Nevertheless, his powerful presence was a comfort to Chiori.

It was Julie who sensed that Amamiya wasn't ready to talk with her friends yet. She suspected that the motherly woman had said something to Kyoko, Kanae, Aiko Mari and possibly even Maria, though she trusted that she didn't reveal anything private. Somehow the two older girls and even Maria made her understand that they wanted to spend time with her, but that they would wait for her to be ready. Even in her cloud of depression she was grateful for their love. But for now, Julie was the only one she had confided in.

And so it was a surprise when Julie laid a brand new journal in front of her. In a moment of self-revelation she had told Julie about how she had scribbled hateful words for hours on end before joining the LoveMe section. She had spoken of how she itched to pick up a pen and start scribbling, even now. So why would Julie-san throw temptation in front of her like this?

She looked up at Julie with a hurt expression, but Julie met her eyes steadily, "Chiori, I think that you need to write."

"But I told you…"

"Chiori-chan, I think that you need to write down the truth. Tell your story. Let it all flow out. Don't focus on your bad feelings. Instead, write what happened. I think that the reason that you 'itch' to write is because it's your outlet. Who knows, my dear girl; it may just be your gift."

And so Amamiya Chiori started to write. Her words flowed onto the paper, page after page. She cried. Her hand cramped. Her back ached from bending over. She hardly noticed when Julie brought her food and drink. She wrote, and wrote, and wrote. It became dark outside of the hotel windows, but she continued to write. The pen ran out of ink and Julie had another ready for her. And then she finally came to the end of her tale. She sat there, her pen poised over the page. She looked up in confusion to find Julie sitting across from her.

"Done?"

"I – I think so… only… I don't feel… finished."

Julie just leaned her head to the side and smiled at her, "That's because you're not finished, Amamiya Chiori. You have an entire life in front of you. You will work, and write, and love. You will make money, lose it, and hopefully make more. You may meet several men before you find the one who you truly love; who will treat you in the manner you deserve. You may change careers several times before the end. But you will live."

Amamiya met Julie's eyes. She looked down at the journal in front of her and caressed the cover. Finally she looked back up at Julie. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, I know four young ladies who love you very much and who are desperate to see you. Why don't we call them over for a late-night tea party?"

**oOoOOoOo**

Julie's comment on the desperation of her friends to see Amamiya proved true. Not fifteen minutes passed before Kyoko, Kanae, Mari, and Maria were there in the suite. Chiori may have felt doubtful about her own value; but her friends did not share those doubts. Amamiya Chiori was their dear friend; a friend whom they had missed. Within ten minutes any awkwardness was dispelled and she was one of them again.

She did notice certain things. Kyoko was more mature, more sure of herself. Kanae was more relaxed, less worried about looking silly or foolish. Mari was just as fun and just as wild, but there was still a more settled feel about her, especially when she touched her belly, which was only just beginning to show. But the most obvious changes were in Maria.

Chiori had been hesitant about including Maria, not because she disliked her, but because of the difference in maturity. The first thing that she noticed about the twelve year old was that she was stretching out and starting to look like a teenager. She had always been beautiful, but now she was becoming eye-catching. _She's going to break a lot of hearts when she gets older. _The second thing that she noticed was that Maria seemed to have matured considerably in the last year. She still worshipped Kyoko, which was no big surprise. Now though, she interacted with the others in a way that seemed to help her blend in despite the age disparity.

Of course, their talks that night ranged through a myriad of topics, as talks in such a setting tend to do.

Mari was grilled about Kurosaki; she was just as taken with her husband as she was when she first saw him appearing with Kyoko on _The Rumiko Show._ "You should see how _he_ dotes on _her," _Kyoko teased, "He can't keep his eyes off of her."

"Oh, and of course Tsuruga Ren _never_ looks at you?" Mari teased back. "I don't know how the poor man drives with you in the car. Must give him a neck-ache." She pretended to be Ren, her hands holding an imaginary steering wheel while her head moved rapidly back and forth. She tried to imitate Ren's smouldering gaze and everyone dissolved into laughter.

"Ah, but neither of _us_ gets poetry in our phone mail all of the time," Kyoko said innocently.

Chiori took the bait, "Who does that?" Then she saw Kanae's flushed face and irritated look, "You're kidding, right? He actually did what I told him? Show me?!"

Kanae respected Hiou too much to share his private haiku's, even with her friends. She would not do so without first obtaining his permission. Besides, they were hers. She was willing to tell the girls about how it all started and how hard he worked to write. She even told them about the leather-bound book of poems. Nobody laughed. In fact they were impressed that he was willing to express himself so openly. "I know he's still young," Julie said, "but he's a keeper." Nobody commented on the fact that Kanae offered no denials.

Kyoko couldn't help but bring up Maria's current love-interest. Rather than be embarrassed, Maria was pleased for the opportunity to sing Shimada Tokoji's praise. "He's really handsome, and he plays violin so beautifully. Did you see him at my party?"

"How could we miss him, Maria-chan?" Julie answered, "For one thing, you barely ever left his side, except to dance. For another, he _is_ handsome. And yes, he plays wonderful music."

Nobody asked Chiori about her ex-boyfriend, though they were obviously curious. Kanae came the closest to discussing him when she said, "I saw that Andy sought you out right away, Chiori-chan. He's a really good guy; he's head and shoulders above… nevermind. Anyway, Andy is here for a year while he's attending Tokyo University. He… well, I know that you don't want to jump into anything, but he's been interested in you for quite a while."

Chiori looked surprised, "He has? Why?"

"Mo! Don't go pulling a Kyoko on us and turn oblivious!" Kanae snapped. Kyoko stuck out her tongue at her friend in response, but Kanae ignored her. "You're cute and pretty and you have a great sense of humor. Andy is the same. He's always laughing and he was the biggest prankster on the set." She laughed as she remembered something, "One day, right before an off-day, he stole Hiou's sword and had the prop-guys replicate the hilt… just the hilt and about two inches of blade so that it would stay in the scabbard. He switched out the real sword and his fake. So here Hiou was, about to have his epic sword battle with me, and he goes to draw his sword… You should have seen the poor boy's face. He's standing there with just a stub of a sword and I'm all ready to go. So Andy yells 'wait' and then runs out with one of those plastic children's pirate swords." When the girl's finally got their laughter under control, Kanae continued, "Another time he glued Neil Grant's pistol into his holster..."

There were many other stories and a lot of laughter among the young ladies that night. Chiori even remembered a few humorous situations from her previous year. The day ended much better than it had begun for her. After they all had excused themselves and headed home she turned and spontaneously gave Julie a hug. "Thank you" was all she said, but Julie understood everything Chiori wanted to say.

**oOoOOoOo**

The next day was incredibly busy as Chiori performed her duties as Julie's assistant. Never before, even as a LoveMe member, had she had the opportunity to really get deeply involved in the fashion show business. She had never realized how stressful it was, how much had to be done in advance, and how fun she would have! Julie noticed it as well, "Amamiya Chiori-san, you seem to be made for this type of work."

The other girls showed up late in the afternoon for make-up and fittings. Julie wanted to dismiss Chiori to be with her friends, but she wanted to stay in the thick of things. She made her apologies to the girls and then disappeared into the throng.

Just as they had previously, Kanae, Kyoko, Mari, and now Maria stole the show. Even though none were runway models, their beauty and personalities stood out. Julie designed one line of her inventory every year to fit the Japanese woman. The show was very well attended by buyers, media, and public. It was definitely a successful night.

"Do you remember those career changes I spoke about yesterday, Chiori-chan?" Julie asked as they cleaned up.

Chiori looked over to where Julie stood and nodded.

"Well, I want you to consider this: I truly could use an assistant with my business. I would like to do a lot more in the Japanese and Asian market, but I'm very busy in the states. I need someone working for me on this end who knows me and who isn't afraid of a little hard work. Think on it."

**oOoOOoOo**

Back in California, the entertainment news featured a small blurb about Julie Swan's fashion show in Japan. Featured prominently in the film clip was Julie working through a problem with the help of a pretty, young Japanese lady. Hizuri Kuu saw the clip and thought that it looked like Julie and Chiori were having fun.

In a Tokyo hotel, Hiraga Akio saw the same clip. He tossed his class of whiskey across the room in rage. He had finally tracked _his woman_ to Hollywood, and then Tokyo, but his efforts to stake out Chiori's childhood home had been fruitless. Now he knew why. After he got his fury under control, Akio logged onto the internet to find out where that interfering *%# , Hizuri Julie was staying. _Chiori, you belong to me... and when I get you back where you belong I will make sure that you never even _think_ about running away again._

* * *

**Notes:** Short chapter. Still, I hope that it was enjoyable.

One downfall of a sequel is that there are many details that you have to remember from the previous stories. Aiko Mari's story is found in _Always With You._ Kanae and Hiou's story can be read in _Runaway Royalty._ Originally I had Kanae show the haiku's, but decided it would be out of character for her to do so. Mari's part was very small in this chapter; I really don't know if she will be featured more later.

Hopefully I pleased a few of the Julie fans out there. She'll definitely be around more later.

Review please. I like to know what you think.


End file.
